Undercover
by maipigen
Summary: FBI agent, Veronica Mars goes undercover to solve Lilly Kane's murder. She's the best at what she does and isn't expecting anything out of the ordinary. Certainly not falling in love and breaking all the rules. Sporadic updating! R and R please... Be adviced that a 26 yr old falls in love with a 17 yr old -NOT an statutory r*** story! COMPLETE!
1. Chapter 1

**I don't own VM or any of its franchise.**

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><p><strong>Unbetaed, but I'd be happy to correct any mistakes you might find; just point them out to me(:<strong>

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><p><em>AN I really shouldn't be doing this…I _really_ shouldn't be doing this…But let's see what you make of it before I start to fret over yet another unfinished story._

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><p><strong>UNDERCOVER<strong>

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><p><strong>Prologue<strong>

"Agent Mars, it's time to begin."

The small blonde FBI agent looked up from the gun she was cleaning; her face clearly showing her exhaustion, it was barely six a.m. in the morning and the people who knew the tiny blonde also knew that she'd never been a morning person. But her voice was firm and full of its usual energy when she replied cheerfully, "I'll be right there; thanks."

Three minutes later, Veronica entered the small room where the professional group of people was going to transform the twenty six year old into a sixteen year old girl. Once Veronica finally was allowed to take a look at herself and the more detailed briefing papers that told her what type of girl she'd be portraying, she almost spat out the coffee that she'd just taken a sip off.

"That's just great. Not again…"

"You don't like it?" James, Veronica's longtime partner asked, leering teasingly up and down at her new attire.

"I escaped high school the first time around without donning the cheerleader persona," Veronica explained, twirling her recently cut blonde hair around her newly manicured finger. "And they keep putting me in these kinds of roles when we do jobs like this as you very well know. It's just nice to see that all my training wasn't for naught. Oh well; I guess I've got yet another shot at figuring out how to do splits in the air and shit."

"Veronica, it's the character that's been assigned to you; you're our _best _undercover agent so take it with a smile and just be happy you're not supposed to teach the stupid kids." James' bitterness over his own assignment was palpable and Veronica couldn't fight back a small smile.

"What? You're dying to learn splits too? I'll teach ya if you promise me an A in your class."

"Oh shut up."

Grinning, Veronica made her way out to the Le Baron that'd been given to her – not for the first time; or to be fair to her character. "Why can't I ever be rich along with the popular bitchy stuff? Aren't all cheerleaders bitchy and rich, I ask you? Did movies teach us nothing?"

"Get in the car and go to Keith's after school, Ronnie. He's expecting you."

"Don't call me Ronnie; I'm not a dog, _Jimmy_." Veronica said, for what might have been the ten thousandth time during their partnership.

James smiled widely and gave her the finger unceremoniously before heading over to one of their fellow agents that was waiting for him to sign something.

Rolling her eyes, Veronica first made sure everything was in place in the car. She'd used the car on a previous assignment, so she'd gotten some hidden compartments installed for her weapons and tracking devices and more.

It was one of the perks of being the best; Veronica didn't have to wear wires all the time unless she felt like it was the best solution for solving her mission. James was usually the only other operative on the case with her and they'd worked together long enough to know what they were gonna do already.

Once a week, he'd give her some sort of bogus detention where they'd debrief each other and as the case progressed they'd work out some sort of surveillance schedule as well. Veronica may be young, but she was by no means a rookie; it was the fifth time she was going undercover at a high school.

Although, it was the first time it was at a school that was as stocked up with the offsprings of the rich and famous as this one. Neptune High school.

Veronica was put on the school to try and sniff out just who'd murdered Jake Kane's oldest child, Lilly Kane. Veronica's uncle, Keith Mars had, as the local sheriff, proved that the guy that had been imprisoned for her murder wasn't guilty and Abel Koontz was released with a big ass settlement for wronged imprisonment.

_Just too bad he didn't get a chance to spend any of it before dying of cancer_; Veronica thought wryly, as she waved to James and pulled out on the road to make her way to her first day of school.

**TBC…**

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><p><em>AN I swore that I'd stop writing VM stories, 'cause they _sucked_ compared to the other VM writers out there, but then this idea came to me and I couldn't not write this as a test to see if anyone might be interested. The updating will be sporadic as I have other stories to finish, but as those who've read my earlier work know, I like to jump around and switch when I'm stuck in another story…Also remember I'm a LoVe addict like no other..._

_Until Next Time _

_Ditte Mai_


	2. Chapter 2

**I don't own VM or any of its franchise.**

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><p><span>Unbetaed chapter, but if you see any glaring mistakes, let me know and I'll correct them as soon as possible. Thanks.<span>

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><p><em>AN First of all; thanks for the warm welcome back into the VM fold. I'm glad you all remember me:) Just a couple of things for the future; can't say when the next update will be, but Logan will appear in the next chapter, I promise. Also, you should expect different lengths of chapters; I'll end each chapter when I think it's done and not fight to make it a certain length. Other than that; I hope you'll all enjoy this update!_

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><p><strong>CHAPTER ONE<strong>

Veronica pulled into the parking lot of her newest place of assignment. The Californian sun was already shining brightly down on the building where she'd spend her days in the next couple of months; preferably less, if she had anything to do with it, which she kind of did when she thought about it...

If she hadn't already read up on the town of Neptune, the expensive cars surrounding her would've told the agent just what kind of people went to this high school. Rich, spoiled kids with _way _too much free time, Veronica surmised as she gathered her stuff.

_This old car doesn't fit in, in the slightest_, Veronica thought, looking around a bit closer at the cars. _People are gonna think I'm a charity case; I don't think the bosses on this realized just what kind of place it is_…

A bright, blinding flash of light hit Veronica's eyes and she held up a hand to use as a shade, looking closer at the car who'd reflected the sun so effortlessly. It was big, that was the first thing Veronica noticed. Another look revealed it to be a bright yellow X-terra.

In the next moment, Veronica recognized it from a picture in one of her files and she immediately went over what she knew of the car's owner.

_Logan Echolls. Son of Aaron and Lynne Echolls. One sibling, Trina Echolls. He's the only one not in the acting business. His fame though still manages to surpass that of his sister. Belongs to the best of the best in the high school hierarchy; best friend Duncan Kane and here's the kicker_, Veronica added mentally just as the car door opened and the boy in her thoughts jumped out full of an elegance that was seldom seen in teenage boys. _He was dating Lilly Kane at the time of her death and it was apparently well known that the deceased had been pretty loose when it came to _who_ was sharing her bed_.

_Murder suspect number one_, Veronica decided, just as the boy in question looked up from fist bumping some of his entourage as a good morning greeting ritual and met her staring gaze head on.

In that moment, something most peculiar happened. Veronica felt like everything faded to black, except those slightly hooded hazel eyes that just. Kept. Staring. At. Her.

Fighting off an unexpected flush, Veronica shook her head and turned to grab her book bag. She discreetly checked that some of her weapons were stored safely inside a hidden pocket before turning around. Her eyes automatically sought out the suspect's form, but to her disappointment – _no_, her annoyance, Veronica corrected herself – he wasn't there anymore.

Sighing, Veronica threw her book bag over her shoulder and began making her way inside. But before she could enter the building, she noticed a growing pile of students milling around the flagpole. Cheers and the occasional rude comment told the agent that someone wasn't having the best time of their life.

Unable to ignore the part of her that always wanted to help out, Veronica pushed her way closer to the flagpole. Once she caught sight of what was going on, she had to bite back a snort of amusement. "Kids these days," Veronica muttered with a smile.

It was a teenage boy, who was taped naked to the flagpole. The duck tape just barely covering all his private bits, something Veronica was grateful for. Staring at a teenager's junk so early in the day was not her idea of a good time.

She stood unnoticed in the crowd, which only grew as the minutes past. Looking around, Veronica waited for the kid's friends to intervene, to step up to the plate so to speak and cut the poor boy down. But the longer she waited, the longer it became clear to Veronica that no one was going to help the unfortunate student out of his predicament.

Sighing, Veronica decided she couldn't stand by any longer. She briefly wondered if signaling James to come and work his teacher magic was a better solution before deciding to go with the more direct approach and doing it herself.

She had barely taken four steps in the kid's direction, before someone stepped in front of her, halting her process. It was a jock whose bleached blond hair gave his identity away to an always keen on details Veronica.

Dick Cassablancas. "Hotness," he smirked goofily, "you must be new so you should know not to worry your pretty little head with these things; he's on the PCH'ers shit list so don't go near him for your own good, Baby."

"Geez, thanks," replied Veronica, neatly sidestepping the blond heir, "but I just can't help wanting to catch a closer look."

As she stepped up to the pole and the all but whimpering teen taped to it, another jock looking kid stepped forth and started snapping pictures of the whole ordeal. Without thinking, Veronica reached out, grabbed the annoying teen's wrist and bent it backwards harshly. Her victim groaned in pain and cussed at her once she took his camera phone. "You'll get this back when you've learned to be a decent human being," she explained and turned back to the kid at the pole, "which I'm guessing means you'll have to wait a long time."

"Hello, I'm Veronica Mars," she cheerfully introduced herself and started to rip the tape off the pole; neatly leaving it on the boy's skin to preserve some of his decency.

"W-Wallace Fennell." The teen returned the favor and smiled shyly down at her as she finished cutting him free. "I'm gonna go home and change…but thanks for this; I won't forget it."

"Coolio," Veronica replied flippantly and turned to leave just as carelessly as she'd arrived, but the jock, from before, whose pride had been hurt along with his wrist, had gotten up with some of his friends backing him.

Veronica rolled her eyes mentally and fell into the innocent personality that usually worked wonders when she tried getting out of trouble, _'cause let's face it_, Veronica thought cynically, _guys of all ages like nothing more than running to the rescue of a naïve blonde chick…_

"Hi guys," she said, altering her voice a bit, making it sound more childlike, while at the same time completing the look when she curled a piece of her loose hair around one of her fingers. "What's up?"

The complete change of personality seemed to throw the injured jock off his track and he stood immobile for a few seconds, mouth agape and looking way too unintelligent for even attempting a high school education.

Veronica gave him, and his silent friends, a few moments to react before straightening up and walking by them with a sweet farewell wave. "Nice talking to ya guys; maybe we'll see each other later. It'll be like totally awesome, right?"

Veronica entered the school building before any of the goons realized what had happened and she took the time to roll her eyes outwardly this time around, before taking out her schedule and memorizing it. Having a near perfect ability to memorize was one of the reasons that Veronica was so good at her job. She'd been through this kind of thing so many times already that she no longer had to pay attention in classes; instead she mostly spent the time eying up her suspects and compiling plans for subtle interrogation and stuff like that.

Having learned her schedule for the week, Veronica quickly made her way to the classroom where she knew that her partner would spend most of his day. As the bell rang, Veronica poked her head in and caught his attention. She blinked in a quick succession telling him in their own private code, that she'd laid eyes on their main suspect and that she'd pursue matters during the day.

James blinked back, scratching his chin in a would be casual manner that meant '**okay, rendezvous later**' to Veronica and with a quick nod, she vacated the classroom door and turned around to search for the class she was supposed to be in herself. Then she had to murmur some lame excuse to a blue haired student, who'd seen the whole thing; something about getting an eyelash in her eye.

The girl with the blue streaked hair didn't react; she simply stepped aside so Veronica could get by and walked into James' class without a word. Veronica figured that the other female might have been stoned so she put it out of her mind and continued on her way.

When she finally reached her destination, Veronica took a moment to compose herself; it took more and more of her to stay in character the older she got and she already knew she was in for a rough time due to the profiles she'd read of the people that had been in Lilly Kane's too short life.

With one last sigh, Veronica hiked up her already short skirt a little and ran a hand through her locks to rumple them; fully intending to go with the slutty, but sweet image. A heartbeat later, she stumbled through the door, giggling before saying with an artificial out of breath voice, "Whoops, these halls are just so confusing; I'm soooo sorry that I'm late Mister, but I'm new and like my family always says, I've got no sense of direction at all," she looked up at the teacher, whose frown diminished at the (supposedly) sincere apology and he welcomed her, making her promise to be on time in the future before telling her to take a seat.

Veronica looked around the classroom and ignored the mixture of judgmental and amused looks she was getting and walked down to Dick Cassablancas, who was sitting in the back, staring at her legs with way too much interest this early in the morning – at least according to Veronica's sense of modesty.

Putting her mild annoyance out of her mind, Veronica stayed in her chosen character and bent forward, planting a big kiss on his cheek.

"Hi there; remember me? I'm Veronica. Mind if I take a seat here; you're the only one I sort of know right now and well, I do know that naked kid too a little bit, but I think he went home. And well, between you and me," Veronica ignored the stares she was getting, knowing that whatever she said most definitely _wouldn't_ stay just between her and the rich teenager next to her, "I shouldn't really hang out too much with him until he's got some clothes on and until all that business with the P…uhm…those letter thingies you told me about earlier, is over and all. Did I mention I'm new here?"

Veronica had to swallow a satisfied smirk, when Dick nodded eagerly, gesturing for her to sit down. She pretended she didn't care when he put his arm around the edge of her seat and kept it there throughout the entire class; instead she focused on the fact that she'd found her first way into Logan Echolls' circle.

_If everything else is as easy as this was, this mission won't take more than a week; tops_. Veronica thought to herself and leaned back into Dick's arm, pretending to pay attention to the teacher all the while she planned out what she'd do next.

**TBC… **


	3. Chapter 3

**I don't own VM or any of its franchise…sadly though.**

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><p><span>Unbetated chapter, but I'll appreciate any and all help if you see any grammar issues!<span>

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><p><em>AN I suddenly had an urge to write these few scenes and well…there you have it. Let me know if you like the dialogue, it's been a while since I've tangled with the intricacies that's VM's banter ;) Enjoy!_

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><p><strong>UNDERCOVER<strong>

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><p><strong>CHAPTER TWO<strong>

_So_, Veronica thought, tiredly stretching her back as she exited her car and made her way into the small apartment that belonged to her uncle Keith. _Logan Echolls isn't as gullible as his friend is. Who knew there was actually one intelligent kid left in that school? And then an 09'er to boot_.

Veronica entered the apartment silently, already having called Keith earlier only to discover that he was away on a trip, trying to catch a fugitive. _Despite the fact that he promised to be at home to help me get settled_, Veronica thought with a small sigh. Looking around, Veronica smiled softly, showing off her soft side for once now that there weren't any witnesses.

The eclectic mix of furniture and styles in the combined kitchen and living room was just as she remembered; something Veronica knew that her uncle's ex-wife, Lianne had struggled with for years before finally giving up. It was bright and warm, yet bore a distinct mark of being a bachelor's home.

The sound of soft growling and tripping feet told Veronica that Keith's dog, Back-up was on his way from the bedroom and she kneeled down, opening her arms to embrace the dog she almost considered her own – especially since she'd been the one to have owned his mother and had given him to Keith as a birthday present a few years earlier.

"Hey Boy," said Veronica and a moment later, Back-up had bowled into her with the strength of a freight train and Veronica tumbled backwards with her arms full of a loving canine.

A little while later, Veronica got to her feet and dusted off the unavoidable dog hairs as she walked into the room that Keith had prepared for her. There she unpacked as quickly and effectively as always, hiding weapons and work related items all over the place, just in case.

Then she took a quick shower, washing off the 'bimboness' that she'd been enveloped in all day and made a pot of strong black coffee before settling down in the striped, plush armchair that she'd always loved and went over her day's work.

After getting accepted by Dick, Veronica truly thought everything would be easy peasy – and at first, it _did_ seem so. Her new friend had taken her outside for lunch in the quad with the other 09érs and they'd all more or less welcomed her. Okay, there'd been some superior looks at her clothing and stuff, a girl proclaiming to be Dick's girlfriend had pulled him to her side and glowered a bit at Veronica, but she charmed them all to the best of her abilities – which was something she had a lot of, and shed been making a timid Duncan Kane smile when Logan Echolls dumped into the other guys lab and just stared at her silently for what seemed forever.

The look in the teenage boy's eyes told Veronica what she'd already caught a glimpse of when they'd last locked eyes; that this young man had an old soul and was way more intelligent than his peers…

Then, in the next second, he ruined anything that resembled maturity by opening his mouth after Duncan pushed him off his lap.

"So, yet another Blondie joins the rank; do you need learning to speak in full length sentences or will your mouth be occupied with…_other_ things?"

Gritting her teeth at the innuendo, Veronica slammed down on the part of herself that wanted to put the insolent brat in a headlock and bang his head into the red plastic table in front of them and smiled with a silly look in her face, pretending she didn't catch the insult.

"Well, I'm pretty good at speaking; but if you give writing lessons, I'd be happy to take your help. My old English teacher said I had appallingly bad grammar. Like, who's ever gonna need anything we learn in high school out in the real life? I'm gonna be a personal shopper or like a professional cheerleader or…I don't know, something _worthwhile_ that'll make a difference in the world, you know."

Veronica prided herself at her professionalism, but she couldn't say that she enjoyed the mocking look Logan sent her at her words; the hint of patronizing disgust did something to her innards, and she didn't like it one bit. Instead, she decided to try and get on with her plan of figuring out if her number one suspect was in fact, a _real_ suspect.

"So, uhm, I'd love to get together some time and learn stuff, if you're interested? I'm a very fast learner, my old cheerleading coach said so…a bunch of times."

Logan's smile was nowhere near sincere, but he did have a look of lust in his eyes as they traveled down Veronica's admittedly lean physique. _And judging from that look_, Veronica thought with a weird jolt shimmering out into her whole body as his hazel gaze lingered, _he __**definitely**__ knows what to look for. Geez, how soon do kids start these days?_

Finally, Logan's gaze returned from its visit below her neckline and he smirked this crooked smirk that – again – did odd things to Veronica's insides that she promptly ignored, because she wasn't at the school to seduce or _be seduced_, the realistic part of her pointed out in the back of her mind.

"No thanks, Blondie. Not that I'm against a casual roll in the hay – or on the several hundred dollars silk sheets that I prefer, but I'm already involved with one stupid blonde; I don't think my poor nerves could handle a second one, however brief it may be. Or my wallet."

Veronica nearly broke her jaw in an attempt to keep her naïve smile going at the blatant insult; fortunately the supposed girlfriend Logan was referring to, finally puzzled out what he'd been saying and turned around to face him with a pout that would've made a toddler jealous.

"Hey, Logan! I'm not stupid."

Logan blinked out of the stare that he still had fixed on Veronica for some reason and turned his head to face the other girl. However, Veronica did see that quick eye roll that he couldn't quite contain as he turned away from her, and she suddenly wanted to smack him for being an insensitive jerk instead of a condescending one and he was definitely **still** the main suspect on her list, because he had to be a coldblooded murderer to be such an asshole.

"Baby," Logan's velvet voice brought Veronica out of her musings and she refocused her attention on her target as covertly as she could as he somehow managed to talk himself out of trouble in a few seconds. "I was simply making an illustrious point; don't worry your pretty little head with my silly speeches. By the way, are we still on for that rendezvous later?"

The skinny blonde girl giggled noisily and leaned up against Logan's shoulder with a contented sigh that made Veronica want to gag. She really hated how that girl just couldn't stop touching Logan. _I mean_, Veronica grumbled internally, _can't she see that he doesn't give a crap about her except for a place to put his-_

"Dick!"

Veronica jolted out of her thoughts violently, flinching enough to accidentally bump into the only girl at the table that seemed like a decent human being. "Whoops, I'm sorry." Said Veronica, quickly grabbing a napkin from the table to dry off the droplets from the soda that had spilled onto the girl's cheerleading uniform as one of the jocks that had shouted for Dick ran over to the table. "Thank God it was an orange soda and not a coke, right? I mean with the yellow uniforms and all that…"

The girl that Veronica had heard being called, Meg smiled, oozing friendliness. "Don't worry about it; I've got an extra uniform in my gym locker. I'll just go change. Have someone shown you where we meet up later for practice? Caitlin usually does it, but she's a bit occupied with Logan lately."

_No, but I've studied the illegally gained blueprints of this school ever since the mission brief was given to me_, Veronica answered the teen in her head; while outwardly she shook her head and got up to follow Meg to the locker room.

She pretended that she didn't hear Logan's oh-so-sincere warning to '**not get lost, 'cause it was a big place Blondie**,' and reminded herself that she _wasn't_ supposed to kill her suspects, no matter how utterly annoying they turned out to be!

**0o0o0**

Back in the present, Veronica blinked out of her memories of the day when her cell phone rang. The ringtone was, 'Murder at the dance floor' by Sophie Ellis Baxter; one which Veronica had given to James' calls after she'd watched him pretty much demolish several of their fellow agents during some innocent dancing at the local Christmas party they'd been to three years ago.

Sighing, Veronica took the call. "How's it going Mr. Vernon?"

"Shut up, Ronnie," James' equally as exhausted voice rang out into her ear. "If I'm anybody in that twisted head of yours, I'm that Bender kid, 'cause I'm the Man."

"Right," Veronica chuckled, "if you insist on being young with the young, I'm gonna compromise here and say you can be Andy, 'cause you love to wrestle and I'm sure you're scared of your daddy too."

"Ronnie…" James sounded like he had no idea how they'd ended up talking about this and didn't quite know how to bring the conversation back on track.

Taking pity on her partner, Veronica ran a hair through her hair and asked, "Well, not that I don't like discussing fabulous eighties movies and all that, but I'm assuming you called to say something important?"

"Yeah; I just wanted to say that I might have located a helping hand. There's a kid in my class that showed unusual talent in the computer area. We might be able to use her later on, in case we need to do something on the sly. Knowing you, we'll end up there eventually."

"Shut up, I'm as innocent as a fresh flower, Jimmy." Protested Veronica; not even bothering to sound sincere because she knew he was speaking the truth.

"Hmhmm, one that's got rotten roots…but anyway," James returned to the matter of hand, realizing that Veronica was in the mood to confuse him more than normally. "I'll get back to you on the progress on my end. What's been happening on your end? Heard you couldn't stay out of the limelight and just had to help one of the little people."

"Well, in my defense," Veronica objected with a smile, scratching Back-up under his chin, "he's more along the lines of six feet something, so I'm not sure the mocking name calling counts. And as for my progress…I'm not so sure."

Veronica told her partner and best friend about her observations throughout the day, taking care not to mention the peculiar feelings a certain actor's son inspired in her every now and again.

"…and then I was shown around by this nice enough kid, Meg. And that's pretty much it for me." Veronica trailed off into a yawn.

Within minutes, James had ended the call and they'd made plans for their first detention the next day and Veronica went to bed. The last thing she thought about before finally dozing off, was a pair of old looking hazel eyes that seemed to look straight into her soul…

**TBC**…

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><p><em>AN Thanks for taking the time to review…hint hint nudge nudge! _

_Until Next Time_

_Ditte Mai_


	4. Chapter 4

**I don't own Veronica Mars or any of its franchise.**

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><p><em>AN Hope the wait hasn't given you major expectations:D Also, for those that are complaining that it's taking too long for Logan and Veronica to interact in a more, shall we say, mature way – well, I have never been good at rushing things and this won't be either. That said, I hope you all enjoy this tiny chapter!_

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><p><strong>UNDERCOVER<strong>

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><p><strong>CHAPTER THREE<strong>

_Okay, it is official_, Veronica thought, desperately clinging to her cover with all her might, _I'm in hell_.

"And that's _so_ good, girls," Meg's cheerful voice rung out, "Veronica, you need to trust us more; we're definitely gonna catch you…err…_this_ time. Now, let's do it again from the top!"

The music resumed its pounding beat and Veronica stored away her concern for future injures, swearing internally to track down the people that had made her a cheerleader – again - and have a little chat with them; preferably with an unregistered Glock firmly in hand.

Finally, the torture session or 'Cheerleading practice' as it was called ended and Veronica practically escaped to the locker room to shower and change with the speed of a bullet.

Once it was done, she went in search of her partner, who'd managed to intrigue her with hints of having found someone that could lend them a hand on the sly. Finally, Veronica located James in the teacher's lounge of all places.

A quick scan of the surroundings told the young agent that she wasn't free to let her persona go and she put on a beaming smile that probably made her IQ drop just by association and walked into the lounge to get James' attention.

"Hiya Mr. Smith," the grin turned into a nervous smile as she tentatively asked, "uhm, I kindda wanted to talk to you about the grade I got on my last paper, 'cause it totally didn't match my expectations so…uhm, what would I have to do to get it changed?"

"Miss Mars," James' eyes held a tiny hint of amusement, and Veronica wanted to throttle him and reminded herself to do just that next time they sparred, "I most certainly doubt that you'll be able to change your average scores in my class, but I do actually have a list of notes for you that might help you see things the way they're _supposed_ to be."

Veronica accepted the small folder which was supposedly full of notes for class, but she knew that it was a collection of his meticulously made notes of his own progress on the case. A quick scan at the bottom, told Veronica that the person he'd found to help them with computer oriented things was a student by the name of Cindy Mackenzie, or Mac as James underlined notes implied.

She closed the folder and looked back at her partner. "I so think this is _lame_," Veronica threw in a little Valley girl to get the possible listening teachers around them to roll their eyes in sympathy for James. "I like, totally gave you a great paper and you're just a sad little man that likes holding his power over people so that he doesn't have to think about his inability to get it up when he-"

"Miss Mars!" James bellowed and Veronica swallowed a smile, while allowing him to give her their preplanned detention for the week, and turned around with a huff, playing the offended girl to perfection.

"Whoa, watch it," Veronica heard a moment later, just before she was body slammed back into the door she'd closed behind her with a bang and tumbled to the floor.

A few seconds later, big sun tanned hands were lifting her to her feet effortlessly and Veronica looked up into Logan Echolls' hazel eyes. She felt an unexpected lurch on the inside and firmly told herself to get a grip, even as she kept her ditzy persona in check.

"Sorry 'bout that," Logan smirked, "I guess you're just too tiny for my senses to pick up. You really _should_ complain about that to someone, you know. It could be hazardous to your health, and more importantly, mine as well."

"Yeah, well you really should see someone about getting a decent personality; I bet it's a real difficulty for everyone around you."

The words left Veronica's mouth in her usual sarcastic tone of voice, and it was definitely _not_ something her cheerleader persona would use and she quickly forced back a curse and turned her smile up a notch as she tilted her head innocently.

The motion triggered some glint of bemusement in the teen's eyes and Veronica forced back any sign of nerves. Instead, she knew from experience that breaking her character now would more than likely be the death of her – so to speak anyway.

Then, in the next second, just before Veronica slipped up for good, Logan's mouth transformed into that smirk that she'd seen more or less permanently glued to his lips ever since they'd met and he leaned up against the wall in front of her with an air of elegance and arrogance all molded into one.

"So New Girl; wanna hang? I'm particularly bored today and the education going on behind these walls isn't exactly as great as people think it is. I mean," here the young man leaned forward an inch, his warm breath ghosting over Veronica's face, sending unexpected goose bumps down her spine before he continued, "I saw my homeroom teacher smoking something that most assuredly _wasn't_ a mere smoke, if you catch my drift?"

"I'm flattered…really," Veronica said, frantically trying to play her role, inwardly wondering just _why_ that seemed harder than any other time she'd been undercover, "but to be honest, I'm like totally in like with Dicky. He's _just_ my type of guy, you know."

"Is that so?" The incredulity was plain to see in Logan's widened eyes, and Veronica suddenly had an urge to laugh at the very idea.

"Yep, he's just _so_ dreamy, don't you think?"

"Sure, I get the shivers every time he smiles at me," Logan's reply was as dry as sawdust and once more, Veronica found herself wanting to laugh, but she just acted like she completely believed his statement and widened her eyes to an almost comical degree.

"I know, right? That soft looking hair and those muscles and-"

"What are we talking about?" The man of the hour suddenly appeared next to Veronica, who'd been so focused on not bursting into giggles at the sight of slight nausea on Logan's face that she jumped a little at the surprise.

"We're just debating the pros and cons of certain bits of the male anatomy and its negative repercussions on me," Logan drawled, slowly looking away from Veronica.

Dick's face morphed into revulsion after a small pause that he clearly used to decipher Logan's words and Veronica struggled with everything in her not to burst something internally as he whisper-yelled, looking around the emptying hallways to prevent witnesses. "Dude, if you got problems with your…well, your little man, I'd really appreciate you _not_ sharing it with me, 'cause I don't swing that way and I'm not really sure if it's not contagious too, you know."

This time Veronica gave up trying and burst into a bubbling laughter that she had seldom experienced before and after a quick look at Logan, he started laughing too. Dick just shrugged, looking confused and walked away.

Veronica finally got herself together again and wiped the tears out of her eyes with a small smile on her lips; Logan copied her movement and straightened back up.

"That was surprisingly entertaining," he admitted, running a hand through his spiked hair with a soft sigh and for the first time, Veronica understood that he wasn't putting up a front, that he was allowing her to catch a brief glimpse of a fun loving guy that was one of the few people alive that got her humor.

_Too bad, I have to prove that you killed your girlfriend and covered it up_, Veronica thought, a more somber mood returning quickly. Out loud she changed the subject abruptly, "I have to go; my uncle is expecting me for dinner."

"Oh…" Logan seemed a bit taken aback, but then put on his usual smirk – although, this time is was less mocking and more sincere. "Well, I'll see you tomorrow then. Unless," here Logan stopped to grab his abandoned backpack and place it on his shoulder carelessly, "you wanna hang out with me and the others at my house tonight? My parents are away shooting a movie and I'm the designated party thrower by default."

With a little too much reluctance, Veronica put on her fake smile and agreed. Judging from the pleased look in the younger boy's eyes, he didn't sense her true emotions and Veronica exhaled a sigh of relief as she watched him walk away with his usual cocky swagger.

"That's a perfect opportunity you've got there, Mars," James' voice sounded from behind Veronica, and she flew around with a start, subconsciously grabbing for the gun that she hadn't worn since cheerleading practice began.

"Whoa there," James grinned and came fully through the teaching lounge's door, closing it firmly behind him. "I told the other teachers that there was a lover's quarrel going on out here, so no one other than me heard anything. Anyway, I'm coming over later tonight with some bugs for your to wear; hopefully we'll get somewhere in this case for once, 'cause I'm very eager to go home and quit correcting stupid papers with way too much spelling mistakes for their age."

"Oh shush you," Veronica rolled her eyes, "you love being a mentor. They look up to you and I bet you get all tingly inside when they break out the ´Sir´ part too, don't ya?"

James gaped like a fish for a split second, before he just snorted and turned back into the teacher's lounge without dignifying Veronica's comment with a response.

**0o0o0**

It was later that evening when Veronica was out jogging to keep up her admittedly impeccable shape, when she witnessed something that almost made her break out her gun and start firing at something.

_Preferably all those shiny bikes_, she thought at the two wheeled vehicles in the distance. _At least that'll distract them if nothing else. _

Veronica crouched down behind one of the few cars that were parked a little out of the way, looking silently as that kid from the flagpole was getting a beating that had already been going on for a little while by the looks of the guy.

The gang leader, Eli "Weevil" Navarro was standing in the front, watching with an indefinable look in his eyes as some of his cronies kept punching their victim in the gut without mercy.

Finally, Veronica couldn't take it anymore, but she knew that she would have some pretty big explaining to do if she waltzed in there and started kicking them all around; instead, she quickly tore off her jersey so she only wore a sports bra and hiked her shorts up a little more, showing off her suntanned legs and stood up straight.

_Well, here goes nothing_, Veronica thought as she put on the most horrified expression she could think off and started screaming like a banshee.

Her unexpected, and _very_ loud, arrival halted the beating and the kid, Veronica vaguely remembered being named Wallace was dropped and fell to the dusty ground like a sack of potatoes; blood sprouting out of his mouth and nose.

Weevil gestured to some of the guys who immediately made their way towards her, and Veronica held up her cell phone, "I've got the cops on the line right now! If you don't get out of here _immediately_, I'm gonna tell them all about you. I know who you are!"

That stopped them dead in the tracks and Veronica was pleased that they had enough sense to respect her threats. _That doesn't mean I'm not gonna read their files and get them for this with my F.B.I. resources_, she thought vindictively – there was not a lot of things that Veronica hated more than cowards and a group of guys ganging up to beat one lonely boy senseless over something that was no doubt stupid was a coward's way of doing things.

Some of her anger and disgust must have bled into her expression, because as she watched, Weevil frowned with narrowed eyes as he stared silently at her for a long while. Eventually, he just shrugged nonchalantly and gestured for the others to leave.

Veronica stood immobile until the last bike had roared off into the dark night and then she threw her shut off phone to the ground and ran to the gasping Wallace.

She used some of her sadly too limited medical training and assessed the teenager's injuries, vaguely aware out of the corner of her eye that Weevil was bending down to take her phone.

"Look, Kid, you need more help than I can give you right now," Veronica said soothingly as Wallace whimpered when her fingers gently touched his no doubt burning stomach region. "I'll take you to the hospital as soon as possible, just hang in there."

"That was a pretty decent bluff, New Girl," Weevil's voice interrupted Veronica's planning and she turned her head a fraction to stare straight into his eyes without any fear as he waved the shut off cell phone in his hand. "But you really should learn to not interfere when it's not wanted."

"It looked like Wallace might want my help," Veronica sassed, getting to her feet in case the Latino was going to try something, "and I just can't help but interfere; it's in my genes, you know."

Weevil's eyes glinted with both amusement and something that surprised Veronica; the barest hint of regret. _Who knew Mr. Big Shot had the capability for remorse?_

"Look, there's a lot of stuff going on here that you don't know about, so I'm telling ya…no, I'm _asking_ that you stay out of our business in the future. Fennell here just had to learn his lesson."

Veronica crossed her arms and raised her brow in question. "_What_ lesson?"

Ten minutes later, Weevil had told Veronica all about Wallace's so called mistake of getting his thieving buddies arrested and he looked like he didn't really know just _how_ she'd wrangled the whole story out of him.

Veronica didn't care; she'd always had a tendency to care too much about the little people and despite his height, Wallace was just that in this case and Lilly Kane murder investigation or not, Veronica wanted to help the guy.

After Weevil drove off to God only knew where, Veronica called Keith to come pick them up so they could get the teen checked out. Once Keith arrived, it was only a matter of minutes, before they all entered the nearest hospital and called Wallace's mom.

On their way home, Keith smiled softly as he listened to Veronica's rant about idiotic people and their cowardice and just like she'd done with Weevil; it only took the older man a little while to get the full story out of her.

"I'll figure something out. Tell Wallace not to worry about it anymore," was all he eventually stated and Veronica just shook her head fondly.

If there was something she could always count on; it was the fact that her uncle was just as willing to go the extra mile for the wronged people. _I guess we Mars folk just can't resist a little trouble_; Veronica thought and followed Keith into the apartment with a – for once – truly sincere smile.

Of course, the smile was wiped off a minute later, when James' texted her to ask how the party was going at Logan's house.

"Damn it," Veronica cursed and went to her room to try and plan some kind of excuse for missing a perfect opportunity to dive further into the mystery that was Logan Echolls.

**TBC**…

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><p><em>AN Phew it's been a while since I've tried my hand at Veronica and Logan banter, however short it was. Did I succeed? I'd enjoy a comment to hear your thoughts, big or small :D By the by, I've finally gotten myself a Twitter account, so if anyone's interested in tweeting with me about my stories or something else, find me at maipigen (yeah, I'm not very original with names, I know:D) - Just let me know who you are :D_

_Until Next Time_

_Ditte Mai_


	5. Chapter 5

**I don't own VM or any of its franchise**

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><p>Any mistakes are my own.<p>

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><p><em>AN Suddenly felt inspired today – please don't expect too much(: Thanks to those who reviewed, I really appreciate it!_

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><p><strong>Undercover<strong>

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><p><strong>CHAPTER FOUR<strong>

"You know, I'm usually not one of those agents that use their power for personal gain, but right now I'd like to commit murder and get away with it."

Veronica waited for her partner to look up at her with his 'teacher' expression on his face, eager to vent some of her frustration even in the midst of their cover. _Professional? No, but I'm gonna go insane if I don't blow off some steam_, the blonde agent stated mentally as James' face briefly transformed back to her best friend's and not her so called teacher during her detention.

"Well, Miss Mars," James said just as quiet as she'd been, glancing around to make sure none of the present stoners and or wanna be criminals in attendance weren't paying the least bit attention to their conversation. "If that's how you feel, maybe you should fill me in on everything a little more somewhere more private."

With those words, the older operative stood up and sent a withering glare out towards the teens in the room, silently promising grave injury if anyone were even _thinking_ about not being there when he returned. After that, he gestured for Veronica to follow him outside the classroom and only when she closed the door after them, did the experienced man break cover.

"Holy _shit_, Ronnie; if you're already this close to losing it, it's gotta be worse than I thought. Tell your ol' sexy partner all about it."

Veronica rolled her eyes. "It's only 'cause I'm in serious need of your listening ears that I'm not going to hit you for the Ronnie part, you know."

"I know, please continue."

Veronica sighed and ran a hand through her blonde locks, showing some of her annoyance with everything even as she started telling James about her troubles.

"After I didn't attend the Echolls house party dealio last week, it's been hell to get back into Logan's good graces. Apparently, despite the whole crap with Duncan Kane being the so called King of Neptune High, they're all really jumping through Logan's hoops and since our primary suspect isn't accepting me these days for 'hurting his itty bitty feelings', no one else is willing to keep me around. Well," Veronica lamented with a weary snort as she continued, "except Dick Cassablancas, but in his defense he came right out and said he'd bang me if I'd let him – as long as we did it _secretly_ and without Logan noticing of course."

James chuckled, "Gotta admire a boy with his priorities straight."

"Yeah," Veronica sighed, leaning up against the wall. "But it raises some questions."

"What kind of questions?"

"Well for starters," Veronica replied softly, "if the school's willing to obey Logan Echolls to this degree, what won't they do if he tells them to lie or withhold information in the Lilly Kane murder case?"

"Or," she quickly added when James looked dubiously down at her, "what _if_ he got one of these kids to do his dirty job? I mean, he's got this weird, manipulate ability about him. It's like whatever he says or does is totally okay and you _want_ to be pulled into his gravitational field, but I guess that's understandable, he's the son of Aaron Echolls, who – creepy, cheesy white smile aside – has that same pull about him if you read some of his co-stars' interviews and even though Logan's still just in school he's well on his way to be even better than-"

"Veronica."

The small woman looked back up at her partner, not even realizing that she'd started pacing back and forth like a caged animal. "Yeah?"

"I mean this in the nicest way possible, but you've completely lost it. What is it with this Echolls kid that's got you so rattled up? I've never seen you act like this, especially not on a case."

Veronica swallowed and then sighed heavily. _If only I knew_, she thought out even as she stated out loud that it was nothing and she was just trying to solve the stupid case so they could go home and relax.

James look of doubt didn't waver, but after a long moment where he'd just stood there looking at her, the older man finally copied her weary sigh and spoke again.

"I totally agree. This teacher business is making me feel old."

"You _are_ old," Veronica deadpanned, trying to act normally, but judging from the look James sent her, it wasn't working as well as it usually did.

"Anyway, you _need_ to keep at it with the 09'ers and eventually Echolls is going to come around. If it helps, I'll assign him detention for some lame ass reason and you can jump in and try unsuccessfully to save him. It's bound to get you back in his good graces. At least I think so, it always seem to work in those chick flick movies my ex-wife hounded me to watch with her."

Contemplating the suggestion for a moment, Veronica ended up vetoing the idea. "I don't think it'll work in the long run. No," she straightened back up, trying to get her equilibrium back, "I'm just going to stalk him and keep up the 'dumb blonde' deal until he deems me worthy of another invite or something. I'm gonna go home and sleep so I'll be fully prepared for my stupid teen act tomorrow. Enjoy your time with the kiddies, Oldie."

Veronica grinned and dodged the (hopefully) playful punch James tried to give her and then she broke into a relieving laugh when she heard him re-enter the classroom and roar something that a boring, Saturday detention teacher really _wasn't_ supposed to say to impressionable youth.

**0o0o0**

_Maybe James' idea wasn't such a bad one after all_, Veronica thought sourly a few days later.

She'd spent quite a lot of time acting like the ignorant, fashion interested blonde that she really wasn't and eying Logan and his fellow 09'ers with a fake look of insipid longing, but to no avail.

Logan was plain out ignoring her whenever she was flirting with the always willing Dick, he didn't even acknowledge her when she'd taken things a step further and tried to talk to the always quiet Duncan Kane that Logan almost seemed protective of.

It was now lunchtime and the 09'er group were sitting and enjoying take out lunch from somewhere that Veronica didn't know and she was sitting by one of the tables just outside of the group, acting like the wanna be popular girl she'd always loathed with a passion when she'd been in high school for real.

"You shouldn't care so much about them," a voice said and Veronica looked up into Meg's solemn looking face. "They're not really worth it."

"That's easy for you to say," Veronica retorted, the very picture of desperately seeking popularity on her face as she added acidly. "Everyone just _loves_ you."

Meg smiled faintly and took a seat next to her, and getting away with it without any repercussions due to being just so damn sweet that it made Veronica's teeth ache. "Despite the fact that I like them, I'm _not_ blind to their faults. And," Meg's eyes narrowed a bit as she continued, "and contrary to what everyone thinks, I'm not as stupid as my hair color suggests and neither are you, so _stop_ acting like being a follower is all you want, Veronica when it's obvious that you're not like that."

_Damn, years of training and successful operations and this little teenage girl reads me like a children's book,_ Veronica thought, trying with everything in her not to let her growing displeasure show. It was more important than ever to keep acting like the vapid cheerleader that desperately wanted to be cool.

Meg waited a few moments for Veronica to reply, but when nothing came; she just sighed and stood back up with an open smile. "I'll see you at practice tomorrow – we really need to get the new routine down soon before the next game so we can add to it a little."

Veronica nodded numbly and watched as her fellow blonde made her way over to the table to her fark haired boyfriend, who was laughing at something that Dick had said. Rolling her eyes, Veronica perused the 09'er group as discreetly as she could. In the next second though, Veronica's eyes suddenly locked with Logan's and she froze completely.

It was like his stare was commanding her ability to control her own body and she was simply unable to look away. Again, it was as if the world tilted on its axel as the stare kept going, as the air around her became electrifying and hot and when the hazel eyed student finally looked away to answer a question that Duncan had asked, Veronica's mind resurfaced with a resounding bang as she admitted something quite horrible to herself, something that at the same time as her heart pounded with shock answered all of her confused questions as to why she was having so much trouble on this undercover case.

_Holy shit…I'm attracted to him!_

**TBC**…


	6. Chapter 6

**I don't own VM or any of its franchise. Sadly, 'cause season 4 needs to happen!**

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><p><strong>Unbetaed, but let me know of any errors and I'll correct them. Thanks.<strong>

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><p><em>AN Slightly longer chapter to make up for the last one. But remember, I never promised that all chapters were gonna be long ones. *whistles innocently* I hope you enjoy and please take a sec to review, it really makes my day to read your comments however pathetic it may sound!_

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><p><strong>CHAPTER FIVE<strong>

"You're really starting to get on my nerves."

Veronica looked up from the paper she was doodling inane things on; as she pretended to not pay the least bit attention to the lecturing teacher in front of the class, because algebra was _just_ too hard for the supposedly less than smart blonde to grasp.

She locked eyes with Logan Echolls of all people, and had to fight back the sudden urge to fidget uncomfortably. Veronica hadn't quite come to terms with the fact that she was extremely attracted to the (much!) younger boy yet - and to be honest, if only to herself, she doubted that it'd ever happen to be something she'd feel relaxed about.

"Uhm, sorry?" was all she ended up saying, as she took great care to blink stupidly, twirling a piece of hair around her manicured finger at the same time.

Logan rolled his eyes and leaned a bit closer, so as not to be overheard. "You're annoying. And I keep asking myself _why_ you're acting dumber than a hillbilly on crack, when it's obvious to anyone taking the time to see that you're way more intelligent than you let on."

_Well, you see_, Veronica thought dryly as she tried not noticing the pleasant smell of his aftershave and that special scent that was all him, _it's actually the first time ever someone has ever seen so completely through my skills that I don't really know what to say to that…Now kiss me and let's blow this joint._

The last stray thought entered Veronica's mind and she shook her head violently to get the imagery out of her mind, accidentally smacking her head into Logan's, who was still leaning close to her.

They both yelped and Veronica fell backwards, clutching her aching forehead while Logan cursed loudly enough to disrupt the class.

"Miss Mars, Mr. Echolls," the teacher droned on, barely managing a heated glare at the disruption, "I understand that this may seem difficult for you since you tend to spend a lot of your miniscule intelligence on avoiding an honest day's work, but you will be graded on this eventually…"

Logan raised his eyebrows with a fake look of surprise, "Whoa, that's like a big insult you just said; it's not nice to ridicule children for their lack of…help me out here, Ronnie," he glanced at Veronica, who couldn't help herself from following the 09'er's lead.

"Total lack of like…smart people's germs," she said, doing her best to look as stupid as possible – which to be honest was something that Veronica did _very_ well when she put her mind to it.

The teacher groaned and just waved them off, obviously way too tired and worn out to even bother with their shenanigans.

Grinning, Veronica met Logan's eyes a moment later and froze at the gaze he sent her. "What?"

"Like I said, you're really annoying."

In that moment, the bell rang and saved the blonde undercover female from sprouting some very not pleasant comebacks and she fumingly watched the younger male grab his stuff and exit the classroom with his usual understated elegance that seemed to get Veronica's radar all up and running.

"Stupid boy," she muttered as she absentmindedly threw her own stuff haphazardly into her bag, "_you're_ the annoying one with your eyes and your voice and-"

"Talking to yourself is usually a sign of insanity," an unfamiliar voice cut through Veronica's pouting and she blinked back to the present with a small jolt of guilt.

It was the girl that James had somehow enlisted as his aide during their mission; her blue streaked hair easily recognizable.

"Oh…hi," in her mind, Veronica was wondering if James had let the brunette girl in on his partner's whereabouts during the whole operation, but a moment later, the girl spoke and solidified everything.

"I'm Mac, your partner seems to get a kick out of using my birth name, but call me Cindy and I don't care how much trouble I get into, when I make your life a living hell."

Veronica smirked, letting the I.Q. points return to her body language as she leaned casually on the table she'd just vacated. "Noted and may I just add, I think I like you a little bit."

Mac frowned briefly, but then her brown eyes softened and she returned Veronica's smirk. "I'm sorry to interrupt whatever it was you had going on, but," here they both pretended that Veronica's heated cheeks were a result of the room's temperature and _not_ her very visible embarrassment, "well…I was told a little need-to-know about you and after my own digging, I thought we should all know where we stand. I hate not being able to speak freely with people."

"Again, I can only say noted," said Veronica as she straightened up after one long searching look into the other girl's eyes. "I hope you understand the part where you kinda have to speak in code every now and again; national security and all that humbug."

Mac smiled with a nod and slung her own worn looking bag over her shoulder, "Well, not that standing here and chatting isn't the highlight of my otherwise wonderful day, I have to go to my next class. Apparently, the youth today can't live without their skulls being drilled with oh-so-useful knowledge of geometry."

Veronica followed the gothic looking girl out of the class, feeling kinda sad that Mac hadn't been born a few years earlier, because something told her that they'd have been great friends.

**0o0o0**

It was a few days later, and Veronica was ready to tear her hair out. Not because of the case, no for once things were looking up. James had – in cooperation with his new prodigy, Mac – somehow figured out that Lilly Kane's time of death had been wrongly timed due to some photos of her driving in the time span where she was supposedly being killed.

So on the work front things were working out nicely, even if the suspicion that Veronica had had towards Logan had only increased. No, her personal feelings for the guy she was meant to be proving as a murderer were slowly interfering with her ability to keep herself in line.

More and more often, she found herself staring at the young multimillionaire's son when he was goofing around with his fellow wealthy friends. Or even when he was acting like an idiot, like when he mocked some of the not so rich people. It just seemed like her eyes were drawn to him and unable to look anywhere else if she wasn't careful.

And as it turned out, Veronica hadn't been nearly as careful as she'd thought because one day, in the middle of lunchtime, Logan's most devoted follower, Dick sauntered over with his usual swagger and a big grin on his tanned face.

"Aw come on Newbie, he's just _not_ that into you."

Veronica flinched and looked over at the table where Logan was to see if he'd heard before she looked back up at Dick. She kept her silly smile on her face to keep in character, but on the inside she was seething and on the edge of committing a very painful act towards her fellow blond.

_I_ _must keep up my cover. I must not kill the aggravating teenager. I must keep my cover_. Veronica chanted mentally, even as she tilted her head a little and widened her eyes. "Who? If you're talking about Logan, I'm just so totally into his style. I've been meaning to bring it up, where do you all shop for clothes? I mean, my uncle is like a _total_ bore when it comes to fashion and even though I keep telling him that plaid was sooo last…well, a lot years ago, he just- wait, where are you going Dickie?"

Dick had quickly lost his smile at the words that kept spilling, just like Veronica had intended and he'd retreated back to his own circle of friends like a good little boy. _Mission accomplished_, Veronica gloated.

And then a shadow fell over her as she'd turned to her tray of barely edible food. She didn't need to look to recognize the person; his delicious scent washed over her and made Veronica feel both delightfully alive and yet so incredibly perverted for feeling said attraction in the first place.

"Hiya Logan," none of Veronica's internal struggle was visible as she eventually lifted her head, unable to act as if she hadn't seen him anymore, "do you need anything? I mean, I hope I wasn't being annoying or anything, but now that I have you, could you by any chance let me in your clothes…I mean, let me in on where you buy your clothes?"

Logan didn't move a muscle and not for the first time, Veronica realized that the teenager in front of her was a lot older in spirit than in years. He had this look in his eyes that told its own story about haunting memories and experiences, but for some reason he tried to hide it from his fellow students.

She was so engrossed in trying to figure out why he was so different than his peers in his own subtle way that when Logan actually spoke, she didn't catch it the first time.

"I'm sorry, can you repeat that? I…uhm, got my hair done yesterday and I think the blow-dryer ruptured something inside me, 'cause I've been having trouble hearing since then. I mean, you can totally ask Mr. Pierson, 'cause he had to repeat everything several times today and it was just so irritating and not funny so I don't get why people were laughing at me in the end and-"

"Veronica." Logan interrupted quietly and she bit her lip, hating the small tell of her inexplicable nerves.

"Yeah?"

"Please shut up."

"…"

"Thank you." And with that last comment, the object of Veronica's _very_ secret desires just turned and left, leaving the blonde in a rage that she didn't manage to shake off in time for gym where she ended up breaking Madison Sinclear's nose during some attempt at volleyball.

**0o0o0**

"I can't believe you're making me do this," Veronica murmured as she parked her car in front of a certain rich boy's mansion. Or, in actuality it was behind a line of much fancier vehicles all parked in the Echolls' driveway.

"_Cheer up, Mars_," James' distinctive voice echoed through her barely visible earpiece as she got out of the car, trying not to trip on the nine inch bimbo heels that he'd all but ordered her into when he'd forced her to undergo this stupid idea. "_Just be grateful, I'm here to brighten up your evening so you won't be tempted to partake in underage drinking; you are just_ _a little girl after all_."

"Eat me," Veronica growled, glaring at a drunken couple stumbling by that she vaguely recognized from the few lunches she'd managed to eat with the 09'er group before Logan booted her out.

"_I'd love to_," James snarked and then he burst into big guffaws of laughter when Veronica pretended to gag at the very suggestion.

A moment later though, Veronica was full on back in character as she made her way through the open door and through the throng of people that were busy grinding, drinking and just having _way_ too much fun for their age group if one asked the small F.B.I. agent.

"What are _you_ doing here?"

Veronica turned to look into Madison Sinclair's eyes that had a dark ring around them, going under the nose bandage she had on, courtesy of Veronica. The agent tried not enjoying the view of the stuck up blonde, who seemed to revel in other people's misfortune, but judging from the sneer on the other girl's face, Veronica doubted that she was a hundred percent successful.

_Oh well._

"I'm enjoying one of Logan's infamous parties," Veronica finally replied with her dumb blonde smile beaming proudly on her lips. "It's so cool here! Now, I'm gonna go get a drink, but thanks for welcoming me, Maddie. You're always _so_ sweet."

Veronica took a lot of delight in the appalled look that the shallow, bitchy girl sent her way, but pretended that she didn't – she _was_ the adult one after all…

"_Damn it, Ronnie; go back, I want me some girlfighting_."

Clearly, the other adult hiding in a van outside wasn't going to be one.

Ignoring her childish partner, Veronica discreetly looked around her to take in all the elements going on, even as she giggled cutely as she grabbed a plastic cup filled to the brim with beer from a passing "classmate", whose name she didn't remember. She still had a cover to maintain.

It took a little time, but eventually, the blonde located Logan. He was leaning casually up against the wall, next to a huge poster from one of his father's endless number of movies. The sight of him sent a spike of something that Veronica didn't really try to decipher, down her spine; mostly due to the fact that she was busy glaring daggers through Caitlin Ford's head.

_What he sees in her, I'll never understand_, Veronica thought, gritting her teeth when the other blonde leaned forward and let her overly manicured hands travel sensually down Logan's chest, stopping just short of it being indecent.

Before she even realized she was doing it, Veronica had made her way through the crowd and stopped short right next to the pair.

Caitlin's upturned nose at the interruption didn't look all that appealing on her, but Veronica reveled in it for some odd reason.

"Ex_cuse_ us, New Girl," Caitlin hissed, clearly trying to use her height as a means of intimidation. Considering that only three days before coming to Neptune, Veronica had cuffed a guy thrice the other girl's size, it wasn't really having any affect on her.

"You're excused," said Veronica, ignoring James' snort in her earpiece. "Anyway, Logan, I kinda wanted to talk with you for a little bit. Is there someplace we could do that? You know," she eyed Caitlin quickly, "privately."

Logan eyed her with a thoughtful expression on his face, like her completely ignoring the dramatic gasp that his so called girlfriend let out at Veronica's request. After a long moment, he simply nodded and told her to follow him to somewhere secluded.

James chuckled through the line as Veronica quickly followed the rich heir and she promised herself to remind her partner just who it was that _could_ get away with being cheeky in their relationship. A hint? It wasn't him, that's for sure.

Veronica frowned as she walked behind the larger boy, who didn't seem to acknowledge any of his guest and/or friends, even when they called out to him as he passed them all by. _I wonder why he's even throwing a party when he's clearly not bursting with positive feelings for his supposed friends_.

Veronica was so deep in thought that she didn't realize that the object of her thoughts had stopped abruptly, until she rammed into his back.

"Damn it Mars, watch it," growled Logan, his harsh tone belittling the gentle grip he had on her waist to keep her upright as she started tumbling backwards.

The feeling of his warm hands on her body, did weird things to Veronica, that she tried her hardest to ignore, because he was just a case; nothing more.

_Yeah, right_, Veronica's inner devil smirked, _keep_ _telling yourself that, Sweetheart_.

Logan's hissed curse brought the befuddled agent back to her senses and she looked up when his hands vanished and he turned towards the half opened door to an extravagant looking pool house. "You kinky bastards, get the fuck out of there before I drag you out and drown you in the fucking pool!"

"Chill Dude," came a familiar voice and Veronica rolled her eyes behind Logan's turned back. _Why am I even surprised?_ She wondered as she watched in silence as a half naked Dick came tumbling out of the pool house with an equally half naked girl behind him that was definitely _not_ Madison.

"I'll chill when you get the hell out of my place; I swear if I find a used rubber in there, I'm billing you for the entire party clean up."

Dick just grinned; he even had the audacity to wink at Veronica, who at this point couldn't quite stop her lips from twitching a bit.

Eventually the horndog that was actually one of Logan's best friends for some odd reason that neither Veronica nor James and their shared talent in profiling could figure out entirely, left and Logan dragged Veronica inside the pool house.

Aside from a huge, slightly rumbled bed in the middle of the room, it didn't seem like Dick's escapades had polluted the place, so Veronica exhaled in relief even as Logan cursed a little and then, with a surprising amount of savvy, made the bed back to perfection.

At Veronica's questioning look, he actually seemed a little embarrassed as he shrugged. "This is my dad's favorite place in the whole house; I'm not really allowed in here on most days. I guess one of the cleaners didn't remember to lock up behind them…"

Judging from the tone in Logan's voice, Veronica had a pretty good idea of what would happen to the person who'd forgotten to lock up; and it wasn't exactly a promotion.

"So…uhm…" Logan hesitated, something that wasn't like him from what Veronica had gathered; "what is it you wanted to talk to me about?"

_Shit_, Veronica briefly panicked, realizing way too late that she hadn't really come up with a decent excuse. Fortunately in these types of scenarios, it was always nice to have a helping hand from an outside agent.

"_Don't wait for my help, Princess_," came James' 'help', "_I ain't got _no_ clue what kind of excuse Rich Boy will swallow; you're the one who knows him the best."_

In light of the less than helpful advice, Veronica's instincts took over and she stepped closer to the guy, who'd all but invaded her thoughts recently. "I think we need to talk about…about everything."

Logan frowned, obviously not really buying her sudden flirting, but he didn't say anything out loud.

Sighing heavily with a small pout, Veronica looked up at Logan through her lashes, making sure to blink a little too excessively for it to be perfectly natural. It was a trick she'd learned on one of her first undercover missions and it'd helped her great so far.

Except for now, of course since Logan didn't move a muscle as he just kept eying her carefully, waiting for some kind of elaboration. _What do I do? What do I do?_ Veronica chanted frantically inwardly and then she did the only thing that she had promised herself _never_ to do on a job. Something Veronica suspected more than knew would spell _big_ trouble for her.

She catapulted forward and slanted her lips over Logan's in a warm, sloppy, half openmouthed kiss that knocked the breath out of her immediately.

**TBC**…


	7. Chapter 7

**I don't own VM or any of its franchise. Sadly though, 'cause we needed that fourth season!**

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><p>Unbetaed, but will be thankful for any and all pointing out errors so I can fix them.<p>

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><p><em>AN Be warned that I have no technical knowledge whatsoever so if something seems totally out there then let's say it's not and learn to live with it, okay? Enjoy!_

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><p><strong>CHAPTER SIX<strong>

Veronica realized that she'd made a terrible mistake, the moment she'd tried ending the kiss and for some inexplicable reason found herself _completely_ unable to.

Never in all her life, through numerous life or death missions, had the tiny blonde ever come so close to losing her sense of self. And she just didn't care, too caught up in the electrifying feelings Logan had awakened within her to give it more than a passing thought.

In the end, it wasn't James' continued yelling for her to stop through the comm. link, nor was it Veronica's guilt of breaking protocol, no; it was Logan himself when he suddenly let her lips go and started roaring some rather impressive insults at an unknown couple that apparently had wanted to use the pool house for a bit of fun themselves.

Veronica tried catching her breath as Logan's warmth left her; somehow they'd ended up on the huge bed in their hurry. All her intelligence came pouring back in a rush and she kept on ignoring James' curses as she tried getting herself together again, before Logan returned to finish what she'd started.

She just lied there, unmoving for a moment, looking up at the fan slowly twirling around as it hung down from the ceiling and that's when Veronica noticed something.

"James," she whispered, peering upwards more closely, "did you bug the pool house?"

"-of all the _idiotic_ things you've ever done, this definitely – wait, _what_?" James cut off another longwinded insult and Veronica tried again.

"See that camera up there," she pointed discreetly, despite the fact that Logan was busy with the two would-be lovers, "did _you_ do that or order it done without my knowledge?"

There was a long moment of silence, before James denied knowing about it, and then added seriously, "It's from its own power source, so I can't hack into it to see that it's filmed so far, but," here Veronica heard the telltale sound of keys being pushed on as James did his thing, "but currently, it's working like an ordinary camera – you're looking a little flushed there Mars." James taunted, apparently his good mood restored, now that Veronica wasn't locking lips with their main suspect.

The blonde agent didn't bother defending herself, instead soldiering on as though her partner hadn't spoken.

"I need to search the premises for tapes," she muttered and glanced around, her blue eyes landing on a dark brown cabinet that seemed locked and thus were the most obvious place to start.

Unfortunately, before Veronica got the chance to really snoop, Logan returned.

Like her, he too looked a little flushed still, his lips swollen from their earlier activity and Veronica felt an unexpected strong surge of possessiveness at the sight.

That of course freaked the young agent out more than anything and she just kept staring wide-eyed up at Logan for several minutes.

He ended up breaking the tense silence with a small bitter sounding chuckle. "You look absolutely petrified," he stated, running a hand through the mussed up hair that Veronica vaguely remembered running her fingers through as they made their way to the bed.

"I have to go," she blurted out, already moving to get off of the bed, but Logan's grip on her shoulder froze her mid-movement.

"What happened while I was gone?"

Thinking fast, Veronica said the first thing that popped into her mind, "You've got a girlfriend. Logan…It wouldn't be…err…honorable to…we really shouldn't have…I've gotta go!"

Before Logan could do much more than frown, Veronica had slipped out of his grip and out was out the door.

**0o0o0**

It took two days of massive avoidance and a _lot_ of utilizing her best undercover abilities, but Logan eventually stopped trying to talk to her. Veronica was very relieved with that. She _was_.

Thankfully, James kept Veronica too distracted to mope around. Instead of trying to figure out what was going on with his partner and their suspect, who really was too young to be as experienced as he seemed to be, James forced her to find a way to break into the Echolls' pool house.

The two agents both agreed that it was something worth looking into, despite its grey areas in the legal apartment, because they'd quickly come to realize that the Lilly Kane murder case was a lot less simple than they'd first believed.

Finally, Veronica and James got a decent plan together and they waited for the night where the 09'ers announced a huge party in Dick Cassablancas house that was supposed to rival one of Logan's.

That, of course had to be seen and disproven, so Veronica knew that Logan and his cronies…err, friends, were definitely going to show up and thus leave the Echolls mansion empty.

It was a little after midnight, when Veronica pulled into the street where the mansion was located and quietly got out of her car. James was sitting in a rusty looking van a half a mile away, tinkering and tweaking with the several security features that the Echolls' had in their home.

A half an hour later, Veronica finally got to her destination and was frowning at the cabinet in front of her. _What if I find something that'll give me the ultimate proof that Logan killed that poor girl_?

The thought of Logan being guilty had begun eating away at Veronica whenever she wasn't careful, and the whole deal about being very attracted to a murderer just didn't sit right with her. There was a tiny part of Veronica, that knew that she wasn't _just_ attracted to the Echolls heir, but she wasn't ready to admit to it yet, let alone understand it, so she shrugged off her thoughts and focused on the task at hand.

A few minutes later, Veronica had found the tapes and was idly watching them on the VCR that was beneath the TV that was in the pool house for some reason.

"Holy," she began, in tandem with James, who was watching every scene unfold through the tiny camera she was wearing in her necklace, "_shit_."

She'd only watched a few minutes so far, but it immediately started with Logan's father, Aaron and his relations with a girl that most certainly _wasn't_ his wife. It was a girl, who couldn't be older than fifteen and the thought sickened the female F.B.I agent for two reasons.

One, it was just _wrong_; plain and simple and two, in some ways she was _just_ as bad as Aaron. Her feelings for his son and their earlier tryst in the very same room that he'd been doing _that_, was suddenly stomach-turning.

"_You're _not_ like that_," James' for once somber voice suddenly echoed in her ear, as she was staring transfixed on the image of the world known actor busy getting fellatio from a girl, whose choking sounds didn't make it seem all that enjoyable to her.

"I'm attracted to a seventeen year old _boy_," Veronica muttered, forcing down the bile that rose up in her as the actor on the screen started having intercourse with the unknown girl, who clearly wasn't enjoying herself as much as he was, "It's disgusting."

"…" James' silence was heavy for a moment, before he sighed wearily. "_Look, it's not exactly a good thing on your record, I mean, if the kid was eighteen, it wouldn't matter, but seriously, Mars; put that crap out of your mind for now and focus on the job, all right?"_

Veronica smiled a small smile, before taking a deep breath and doing what she was told, because really, there wasn't anything else she could do right now about Logan and her. She started going through the tapes methodically, trying to decipher the markings that was scrawled on them to see if she could figure out which tapes to watch in her no doubt limited time there.

"Trust your gut, Girly Girl," Veronica muttered, when she traced each tape with her glove clad finger. It was a gift that had helped the blonde more times than one over the years and she wasn't about to ignore it, when she had a weird inkling to pick up the innocent looking tape that was labeled _**L**_. &_**A**_.

Veronica was just about to put the tape into the machine, when she heard a noise from the outside. Within seconds, she'd stuck the tape in the waistline of her pants, closed the cabinet and hid under the bed.

Fortunately, it was just in the nick of time to avoid being spotted by the person who entered the pool house. Veronica breathed as quietly and evenly as she could even as equal parts of adrenaline and fear rushed at her senses. _Also_, she thought, trying to recapture some of her usual sass, _someone's _gotta_ tell Logan's maids that they need to clean under the bed, 'cause _damn…

"Wow, Mr. Echolls," an slightly familiar voice crooned, distracting Veronica from the rising urge to sneeze. "This is such a cool place, a lot more awesome than my parents'." A heartbeat passed and then Veronica saw another pair of feet, this time clad in no doubt very expensive heels and she suddenly got a very bad feeling about what was about to happen, when the male, Aaron Echolls, chuckled seductively and walked closer to the bed.

In order to stay undetected, Veronica did the only thing she could do; stayed as still as she possibly could and prayed fervently for deafness or death, whatever came first.

**0o0o0**

Sometime later, Veronica had established that not only was Aaron Echolls a rough lover, but his current female companion was none other than Madison Sinclair, Neptune High's current Head Bitch in charge after Lilly Kane's death.

"Are you _sure_?" James asked as he picked her up just as the dawn light started breaking through the darkness of the night.

Rolling her eyes, Veronica leaned her head back on the headrest. "Yeah, it's kinda hard to miss since there was a lot of moaning of names going on, as I'm sure you loved hearing."

James grinned, and reached out to ruffle Veronica's dust covered hair, "Well, I _was_ trying to be a gentleman and not listen in. Besides," he kept on going when Veronica snorted with disbelief, "I was chatting with Cindy about some stuff that needed looking into. I'm telling ya, that kid is either gonna be an evil genius or elevate the good guys completely some day."

"You do know she's gonna kill you some day if you don't stop calling her _Cindy_," Veronica pointed out, already half-asleep after her long night. The last thing she heard was James' answering chuckle and then she was sound asleep.

When she woke up, Veronica was lying in her bed in her Uncle Keith's apartment. Disoriented, she lay blinking for a few moments, before she remembered the previous evening. _I'm never gonna be able to look Madison in the eyes again_, Veronica thought with a small shudder, _I didn't need to know that she liked spanking and the word 'Daddy' so much. Yuck._

The shudder jostled Veronica a little, and that's when she felt an uncomfortable pain in her lower back and recalled the videotape she'd managed to sneak out when she'd tip-toed out of the pool house after Aaron had seen Madison out.

"Better get the nausea out of my system, before I attempt anything edible," Veronica muttered as she reluctantly put in the tape in the old VCR that stood next to an even older TV in her room. She pressed play and hoped for the best.

A few minutes later, Veronica was watching with slack jawed shock as her murder victim got it on with the main suspect's father, and judging from the ease they shared it was obvious that it wasn't the only time those two had shared a secret rendezvous.

Before too many minutes had passed, Veronica paused the tape and got up to call James. From experience, she knew that Keith had left the apartment; engrossed as he was in his work, so she didn't bother cleaning herself up before walking out to the small kitchen area to begin making something to eat. She just quickly changed into some of her oldest, most comfortable clothes and called it a day.

"Well, well, well; if it isn't Sleeping Beauty herself," James' drawl was teasing and Veronica looked out the window next to her with a smile on her lips.

"Well, indeed. Judging from the fact that it's beginning to darken outside, I'd say I've only slept most of the day and not a hundred years, but I do love it when you embellish."

"Yeah, yeah, Ronnie; so…" James' tone turned serious and Veronica automatically straightened her posture.

"What?"

"The bug in Echolls Junior's car, a.k.a Loverboy from this moment on, just indicated that he started moving." Veronica groaned softly in annoyance; no matter how grave things got, she could always count on a little mockery from her oh so devoted partner.

"And?" It shouldn't really surprise him so much, since Logan was a very active 09'er with a lot of social calls or whatever it was they called it these days. Veronica swallowed down a pang of jealousy of the thought of one of those visits he made was to Caitlin Ford.

"_And_, Miss Thing," James answered, "he's moving towards you…aaand, he's just stopped outside the apartment building; so I'd do some quick damage control of your room." He ended the call and Veronica scrambled into her room to hide all the evidence of her real life.

The weapons were stuffed underneath the bed, so was her surveillance equipment and in-between that, Veronica desperately tried making herself look a little fresher than she felt. She ran a hand through her sleep ruffled hair and bemoaned the fact that she hadn't changed into something a little more…well, pretty. She was wearing an ugly pair of shorts that really should've been burned long ago and a tank top that she'd gotten from James for a birthday a few years back. It always left Veronica wondering if James had been to Hooters to procure it; it was that tight over the chest area.

Just as Veronica ran up to the door, it rang and she eliminated the feeling as if she'd forgotten something and greeted Logan with the biggest, most insincere smile that she had in her arsenal.

"Logan…Hi."

The look of pure befuddlement on Logan's face, made Veronica feel extremely embarrassed, but she fought through it and kept that insane grin on her face just in case he was there to seek confrontation.

"What's up?"

"We kinda need to talk, don't you think?" Logan replied, stepping over the threshold to the Mars apartment without any signs of superiority on his face at the sight of a much lesser luxurious setting than he was used to. For some reason, that caused something to flutter briefly in Veronica's stomach, but again, she pushed it away and tried her damndest not to blow the whole operation by jumping the suspect of their ongoing murder investigation.

"Sure…let me get you something to drink first though, okay?" Veronica all but ran to the refrigerator and ripped out a chilled soda, which she smacked down on the table with a lot more force than was actually needed. "Whoopsies," Veronica muttered, her face hot as she handed the beverage to the bemused boy eying her with a smile.

A moment later, the smile vanished, when Logan opened the soda and was doused with its content due to Veronica's less than gentle handling of it. "_Shit_," he cursed and started wiping down his now soaked shirt. "I'm just gonna need to use your restroom for a bit to clean up," he added with a lot more civility than Veronica felt she deserved as she pointed him in the right direction.

As she waited, Veronica resisted her sudden need to either flee or smash her head down into the counter top repeatedly. "What's _wrong_ with me?" she muttered unhappily just as she heard her name being called harshly from her room.

"Logan, who do you think you are, going into…my…room…?" Veronica halted at the sight in front of her as she stood in the doorway to said room. Logan was standing, wearing only a wife-beater that looked extremely well on him, but for once, Veronica's untimely hormones didn't register completely within her.

No, it was mostly due to the fact that Logan stood with his arms crossed staring straight at the screen of her small TV that had been paused right during a scene where Aaron Echolls was obviously pounding into a clearly willing Lilly Kane from behind.

"Logan…" Veronica trailed off, unable to continue when Logan's darkened eyes snapped over to her.

"Who the hell _are_ you?"

Veronica's heart beat faster and faster and she _really_ wanted to answer Logan's question, but for some reason, she couldn't get her mouth to say anything other than his name.

"Logan…"

**TBC**…

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><p><em>AN I wanted to take a moment to thank you all for the reviews I get for this story, despite its sporadic updating. It means a lot to me and that's the reason I didn't pull it down when I started struggling earlier on in the month. Thank you._

_Until Next Time_

_Ditte Mai_


	8. Chapter 8

**I don't own Veronica Mars or any of its franchise.**

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><p>*Unbetaed but any and all help are appreciated*<p>

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><p><em>AN Sort of ambivalent about this chapter, but had to post after a few rewrites or I'd never get it out. Hope you like it. Enjoy and thanks for the reviews, I loved them_.

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><p><strong>CHAPTER SEVEN<strong>

Veronica lost track at how long she just stood there, staring dumbfounded up at the student that she'd developed _something_ for. She still refused to acknowledge completely what that was exactly. Instead, she just stood there and tried to come up with the best answer to his question.

She debated whether or not to just knock him out, claiming that he'd somehow dreamt everything when he came too and she'd resumed her ditzy persona; she even wondered if she could call upon a higher power to step in before she had to do something drastic.

In the end though, Veronica settled on a version of the truth that she hoped Logan would accept, because she really didn't want to put him through interrogation for knowing too much.

"I noticed a camera in the pool house that day and…Well, I couldn't not snoop around, 'cause," here, Veronica's voice took on the tone of the character she'd painstakingly created when she entered Neptune High and continued with a fake look of outrage, "I totally thought you were gonna videotape me and that's like so nasty, Logan. Like totally."

"Save the Valley Girl routine for someone who believes in it," Logan barked and Veronica instinctively took a step back at the harsh tone in his voice. "I know you're not telling me everything Veronica, but so help me God, you're gonna tell me why you're watching a sextape of my dead girlfriend and my father!"

"Logan!" Veronica dodged when he lunged for her, probably to drag her into her room, and automatically slipped him up by putting out her leg in his way and he toppled to the floor inelegantly. Veronica immediately jumped on top of his back, holding him immobile by using some of her martial arts knowledge.

"Please relax!" she practically begged even as the boy kept trying to escape her iron grip, "I wish I could tell you, I really do, but _please_ you have to trust me!"

"Get off me!" Logan roared, twisting around and trying to buck her off with limited success. In the end all that happened was that his shirt rid up and exposed a little of his muscular back.

Veronica held tight, but her eyes inevitably wandered down to the bared skin and she barely managed to hold back a gasp at the sight in front of her. She used her free hand to gently trace the ugly welt that she could see and with narrowed eyes she removed Logan's t-shirt a bit more, ignoring the way his struggles intensified.

His back was a mess and it was a testament to his pain tolerance that he hadn't cried out in agony at her weight on him, let alone her grip on his upper body. "Logan…" Veronica whispered and tried connecting the dots to the best of her abilities. It wasn't until the Echolls heir murmured something about a normal parental punishment that everything fell into place.

"That _bastard_," she hissed and quickly jumped off of Logan, who remained where he was, face hidden in the carpet as if he suddenly wanted to bury himself in it and escape what would have to come next. "I'm gonna kill him."

Forgotten were all her worries about the truth, she was being consumed by protective rage and Veronica was already planning out how to get to Aaron Echolls the next time they met. Of course, just because she was no longer worried about what to derail Logan with, the man himself wasn't about to be deterred even though one of his darkest secrets was suddenly out in the open.

"Not before you tell me why the hell you were watching that in there!" Logan sat back up, pointing in the direction of her room without looking away from her.

It was the steely eyed glare that barely hid his personal embarrassment that somehow managed to cool Veronica's temper somewhat back down again and she just plumbed down on the carpet in front of Logan with a groan of frustration.

"What's it gonna take for you to believe that I really _can't_ tell you?"

"You have to tell me, 'cause it's _my_ dad screwing _my_ dead girlfriend!" Logan roared, biting his lip and wincing when he moved forward in his anger and obviously aggravated his back injuries which Veronica had intensified with her manhandling.

The guilt washed over the young agent, and she quickly jumped forward to do something to help him out, but Logan batted her attempts away and kept glaring at her, clearly not about to leave things well enough alone despite the pleas she'd been spewing.

Finally, Veronica snapped, foregoing years of training and knowledge in a fit of anger. "I can't tell you anything 'cause it's my job to prove that _you_ killed her!"

Logan froze as did Veronica the moment the words left her mouth. How long the two of them stood staring at one another wasn't something she could keep track of right then; in fact, all she was thinking was, _oh shit, oh shit, oh shit,_ on repeat in her head.

Eventually, Logan straightened up and the look in his eyes seemed to portray that her callous words had somehow shattered him, _hurt_ him and Veronica wanted nothing else but sooth the hurt she'd poured on him, but wasn't quite sure how to.

"Logan…I…" She began, but Logan's face closed at the sound of her voice and he turned to leave.

"I don't want to hear it, Veronica. If that's even your name," he added coldly as he stood in the doorway. "I can't believe I liked…"Logan's last words disappeared as he slammed the door and vanished as quickly as he'd come.

Veronica slid down to the floor, hoping that she'd wake up soon. Praying silently that what had just happened had just been a bizarre dream.

About fifteen minutes later, her cell phone rang and Veronica forced herself back into the real world when she recognized James' name on the display.

"_So what's the scoop, Ronnie? I've been waiting like a dog for a treat_."

"I…" Veronica's voice broke and she cleared it to try again, but it was suddenly impossible to speak through the guilt filled lump in her throat.

"_Veronica? What's wrong_?" James' tone turned serious in a heartbeat; he was a player and liked to have a lot of fun, but when it came down to it, James really was one of the best agents out there and Veronica's best friend.

"I've messed up," she blurted out, unknowingly biting her lip and looking more like a teenager than ever before.

The sigh on the other end of the line was heavy, but James sounded gentle when he replied, "_Let's meet and talk it out." _

Veronica nodded even though her partner couldn't see her and agreed to his directions before ending the call.

**0o0o0**

"Yeah, we're totally screwed."

Veronica rolled her eyes, feeling a lot calmer now that she'd finally revealed her blunder. "Don't hold back what you really think."

James shrugged, gulping down the rest of his coffee before speaking again, this time more serious, "You're skating on the edge of disaster, Mars. If I'd been a proper agent I'd have to report it and you for-"

"I know, but thankfully you're not a proper agent." Veronica interjected, adding softly, "and by that I mean you're an awesome dude."

"Look it's not right Veronica, I mean things aside, I'm happy that somebody tickled your fancy but still, it's not exactly an uncomplicated person you've thrown your attention at. I mean, he's a murder suspect for crying out loud."

"_That's_ what you're focusing on?" Veronica frowned. "Not that I blurted out that I'm not the idiotic blonde cheerleader I'm undercover as, but the fact that I…" she glanced around and then leaned forward to mutter reluctantly, "are having feelings for Logan?"

James grinned cheekily and Veronica had to repress the urge to smack him over the head; he may be her senior and a brilliant operative but in moments like these she felt like the older one.

"Absolutely Sweetcheeks. I mean, I gotta admit that I thought you were a lesbo from time to time given your lack of interest in yours truly, but…Aw screw it; I know you don't let yourself feel all that often and then to turn around and discover that some punk's got you all up in a knot is kinda hilarious. Dangerous for your job and future of course, but really funny too."

"Logan's not a punk," was Veronica brilliant reply and she groaned and took a sip of her own now cold coffee to stop herself from spewing less than intelligent comments like that one again. But still, she wasn't unaware of the way James' eyes were serious beneath his carefree expression and she loved him for so very clearly choosing her side even if he didn't quite understand it.

_And that's the only reason I'm not throwing my coffee at him right now_, Veronica thought when James wiggled his bushy eyebrows with a leer on his face.

"Come on, we've gotta figure something out, you big pervert, so focus!" Veronica screamed when James didn't let up after a few minutes. That of course brought every other patron of the café's attention on her and she groaned again and slammed her head down on the table.

"Just shoot me now," she murmured unhappily.

"Now where's the fun in that, Ronnie?" James asked and then mock gasped with indignation when Veronica's middle finger popped up to make a very unbecoming, but very efficient statement.

"Now _that's_ just rude, is what that is," James grinned and called their waiter over for another cup of coffee.

**0o0o0**

It was a few days after Veronica's run in with Logan and she'd been walking on eggshells ever since she'd come back from talking things out with James and it was beginning to take its toll on the tiny blonde.

She was juggling her guilt from both lying to Logan and yet revealing something so secret as well, the fact that the tape proved that there seemed to be a pretty big motive for him to kill Lilly Kane. Her trying to prove without a shadow of a doubt that he really _was_ as innocent as she now believed him to be (his shocked and betrayed expression that day was clearly truthful because no one was _that_ great an actor). Her tailing of Aaron Echolls so she could catch him hurting his son and thus make the bastard _pay_ and then to top it all off, just keeping up her role as the cheerful Veronica Mars; cheerleader extraordinaire and dumb, somewhat slutty blonde.

Sometimes she just wanted to go to sleep and tune out the rest of the world.

"Don't take this the wrong way, Veronica; but you look like crap."

Veronica started out of her thoughts, looking over at the girl speaking to her. It was Mac and her eyes shone with concern even as her face remained impassive. "I'm fine."

"You don't look like it. You should try this thing that's called sleeping." Mac's tone was dry as sawdust, and Veronica sighed.

"Look Mac, I appreciate the concern and all, but I'm used to not sleeping a lot so there."

Mac's brow raised itself sardonically, "so there? What are you, like twelve?"

"Shut up," Veronica cursed her exhaustion; it'd been a long time since her sarcasm had been so bad. Realizing this she sent a small smile at the teenage girl next to her. "Okay, maybe you're right, but I'm handling it."

"Right…" Mac nodded with clear disbelief and stood up with the rest of the class as the bell finally rang. "I'm taking you to James before you crash and burn."

"You do realize that out of the two of us, I'm actually the grown up, right?" Veronica quipped, but she amiably obeyed the brunette and followed Mac as she led the way towards the class where Veronica knew James had just finished his last class of the day.

Veronica never made it to James classroom though, because suddenly Logan popped up in front of her, grabbed her wrist and dragged her down the hall and pushed her into the classroom she'd just abandoned. He completely ignored not only Veronica's muffled curse but Mac's indignant protests as well as he slammed and locked the door behind soundly him.

In the blink of an eye, Logan towered over Veronica, invading her personal space with an aura of danger and sensuality around him that the blonde had to bite her lips to stop from visibly reacting too; aside from the lip biting naturally.

"Can I help you, Logan?" _Damn, even my voice sounds as affected as I am_; Veronica scolded herself momentarily at the breathlessness in her tone.

"I need you to back off." His eyes were as cold as she'd ever seen them and Veronica couldn't quite force back her shiver of unease.

"I don't follow."

Logan took a step closer, bringing their bodies almost chest to chest; his face mere inches away from her, allowing her to be almost mesmerized by the green specks in his hazel eyes.

"Don't follow Aaron around. He's not your _suspect_ after all." Logan's trademark smirk appeared, but it lacked its usual spark of mischief and Veronica decided that it didn't suit him one bit.

"I'm not-"

"Cut the crap, Veronica. I know you've been following him around ever since you saw my…Ever since I was at your place. I understand why you think you need to do that, but I'm fine and it's none of your concern."

"Actually," Veronica couldn't help herself, tilting her head with an air of superiority about her that she didn't need a mirror to see, "it is my concern. As an adult it's my responsibility to stop abuse whenever I see it. Serve and protect and all that mumbo jumbo and oh my God, you didn't need to know that I'm older than you."

Logan didn't react when Veronica started babbling out more excuses for her words that clearly was a lie. Instead he waited until she paused to breathe before speaking again. "I know you're some kind of cop, I may be young, but I'm far from stupid, I can connect the dots all by my lonesome. I just need you to back off of my father while I do my thing."

"Your _thing_?" Veronica straightened up, "what are you talking about?"

"Since you and whomever it is that's working with you, 'cause," he added mockingly when Veronica was about to ask, "undercover people never work alone. I've seen 'Never Been Kissed', I know how it works. Anyway, to get back on track; since you and your silent partner are busy putting Lills' death on me, I need to spend my remaining days as a free man on finding out why the hell my dad screwed my girlfriend."

"It's not your job," Veronica pointed out. "Also," she all but whispered the words, "I don't think you did it anymore."

Logan stared at her for a long while and before she knew how it happened they'd somehow locked lips again and when the bell rang again, as if far away, Veronica realized she was sitting on the desk with her top unbuttoned and Logan's right hand on her breast.

"Oh my God," she shrieked, mortified that she could lose control like that and ran towards the door.

"I'm glad you think I'm innocent." Logan's voice stopped her cold and Veronica, chest still heaving with arousal, mortification and guilt combined, turned to look at him.

"I never said you were _innocent_, Logan Echolls." She left quickly after that, but not until she'd watched a truly beautiful smile appear on the young man's face that brought renewed life to his eyes.

**0o0o0**

Five minutes later, Veronica burst into the teaching lounge and gestured for James to come with her and fifteen minutes after that, Veronica was staring angrily at the ground, feeling more lost than ever as James tried to make her see why his suggestion was the best option.

"It's the only way, Veronica. You know it as well as I do that no normal kid could've spotted you on a trail; I mean, I've got trouble finding you whenever you're doing it and I'm on your side. He's smarter than he looks…You need to work the best angles to solve the case before his curiosity blows up in all our faces. Or before we get pulled from the case."

"He's not cleared to know everything," Veronica muttered.

"Well screw that, since you've apparently dropped hints the size of Texas on the kid already." James retorted, sitting down next to the angry agent. "Come on, you _know_ it's the only way. You've gotta convince him to be your boyfriend to gain access to the Echolls' house, and if that means telling him about the operation on the sly, I'm all for it – we don't have to put it in the report."

"But…" Veronica trailed off, knowing full well that James had come up with the best possible solution. She'd messed things up by her attraction to Logan and she knew she had to fix it and solve the case the best way there was and in this case, it involved going undercover as Logan Echolls' new girlfriend.

"Hey," James' voice turned less serious now that he could see Veronica's agreement begin to appear on her face, "look at it this way; at least _now_ you can burn off some hormones without breaking any rules whenever you're at school – Aw that _hurt_!"

Veronica groaned with equal parts exasperation and annoyance after she'd slapped her partner hard on the arm and proceeded to try and figure out the best way to convince Logan to go along with James' plan.

_I just know it's gonna be a lot more complicated than any of us can predict_, Veronica thought and groaned again when her mind proceeded to focus on the blazing heat between Logan and her whenever they were near each other for more than two seconds.

_Please let this case end soon_, she prayed and hit a now chuckling James once more just to feel more like herself again. She had a rich soon to be fake boyfriend to explain things to after all.

**TBC**…

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><p><em>AN…Yeah…so there you have it (: I hope it, as James would say, "tickled your fancy." _

_Until Next Time_

_Ditte Mai_


	9. Chapter 9

**I don't own VM or any of its franchise, or else Season 3's ending would've ended with a lot more LoVe!**

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><p><em>AN so it's been forever. I apologize, but my inspiration for this story is sporadic at best. That said, I hope people still remember this story and are interested in reading it. If I was you, I'd reread the last chapter to remind myself of the plot;) Thanks for the comments; it's because of them I kept the story up :) If possible, enjoy!_

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><p><strong>Unbetaed, but I'll appreciate any heads up about errors, thanks.<strong>

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><p><strong>CHAPTER EIGHT<strong>

_So, Girly Girl,_ Veronica sighed heavily, sitting with a slouch in her seat during the first class of her day, _how do you suppose you can entice your attractive forbidden fruit to get involved in a fake relationship so I can prove that his father may or may not have murdered his once upon a time _actual_ girlfriend? _

Her eyes surreptitiously glanced at the young man in question, subconsciously noting the hint of silent strength in his posture as he was busy staring up at the blackboard with a blank expression on his face. _I could go with the 'I'm F.B.I. so you have to do everything I say' route? _Veronica thought, but immediately scrapped the idea when another much less demure thought followed it suggesting what else she could get him to do using that idea…taking off his clothes to ravish her came to mind.

_No!_ Veronica shook her head, ignoring the bemused looks she got from the teenagers around her. Think_ Mars, you're supposed to be brilliant so your libido can't be in charge right now!_

In the end, as much as it pained her, Veronica decided to follow James' advice and just tell Logan as much as she could in order to get his cooperation. Of course, she'd _never_ ever tell her partner that, because there'd be no doubt that he'd be utterly insufferable about it. She quickly packed her things when the bell rang and all but ran after Logan, who was walking next to a tired looking Duncan Kane.

"Logan, wait up!" She called, and had to swallow back a curse when the boy in question didn't act on her order, forcing her to speed up another notch until she could run past him and stop right in front of him.

"Oh," his smirk was infuriating and Veronica suddenly remembered why people said there was a fine line between love and hate, as she suppressed a sudden need to smack him, "I thought I hear something small and insignificant, but I figured it was just my ears playing tricks on me."

"Great, Echolls," Veronica said through gritted teeth as she used all her training to maintain a cheery smile that she was pretty sure none of the boys bought entirely, "we need to talk. Now," she added firmly when Logan opened his mouth to say something.

Before the heir could say or do much of anything, Veronica grabbed his arm and unceremoniously dragged him into the nearest available classroom where she proceeded to achieve the impossible for a moment; she made Logan Echolls completely speechless.

**0o0o0**

"I'd _like_ to say that it was easy peasy and he agreed immediately," Veronica sighed as she handed her uncle Keith a cup of coffee, ignoring the slightly offended look James gave her when he didn't get one too, "but in reality, he just stood there for God knows how long with his mouth open and a dazed look in his eyes that made him look stupid and before we could really talk about it, the bell rang and a teacher showed up to boot us out before his next class."

"Hah," James chuckled, getting up from his seat to grab himself a cup of coffee himself when it became clear that Veronica wasn't in a giving mood, "Echolls Junior, speechless? Now _that_ I'd like to see."

"Not helping, James." Veronica pointed out and stole his favorite seat as a punishment while Keith simply rolled his eyes at their antics.

"You two better pray you're never assigned new partners, 'cause I'm pretty sure they'd kill you in a matter of days," he stated, taking a sip of his coffee. Veronica and James eyed each other with obvious confusion before looking back at him, clearly not getting his point.

"Never mind," Keith rolled his eyes again and changed the subject. "Anyway, so I take it that Logan's on board despite his initial reaction? I mean, he hasn't blabbed about anything as far as we know so far, right? So what's gonna happen next?"

Veronica rubbed the back of her neck uncomfortably. "Well, I _think_ the fact that he didn't immediately publically humiliate me or anything means that he's willing. I just think he needs a little time to get everything straight in his mind."

James smirked, but Veronica took comfort in the fact that his next words weren't his predictable uncouth ones. Instead, he actually seemed serious underneath the twinkling eyes and goofy expression, "We'll let the new it-couple news go around school for a few days to solidify their connection, making them go to parties and such after school. Then, if Logan is on board with everything, we'll plan a family meal where hopefully Ronnie here manages to get some clues and if possible scope out anything interesting. Oh, that reminds me," he nodded at Veronica, "we'll need to get Logan to update our bugging systems; his knowledge of where his father spends his time the most will be helpful."

"Sure," Veronica agreed and leaned back in the chair, trying secretly to not think about the look in Logan's eyes when she'd told him her plan to possibly get his father arrested for his dead girlfriend's murder by the help of a fake relationship.

_He almost looked…disappointed about it_, Veronica recalled, subconsciously frowning at the idea of hurting Logan. _Like he was as thrilled about the fake part as I was when it was first brought up…Why couldn't he have been born at least five years earlier? Or just two years even?_ She bemoaned as her imagination suddenly started playing tricks with her and forced her to focus more on his strong arms and how they'd felt that last time they'd been in an abandoned classroom together.

"Veronica?"

Startled out of her thoughts, Veronica jolted a bit and had to scramble inelegantly not to spill her half-empty coffee cup on the carpeted floor. James laughed loudly, but soon stopped when Back-up the dog growled irritably at the noise and rolled over his feet to make him quiet down.

Smiling at her protective canine friend, Veronica looked over at her uncle, who was looking at her with slightly worried eyes.

"What's going that pretty head of yours, Honey?" His tone reminded the agent of all the summers that her parents had shipped her off to her uncle's house and where he'd always been her closest confidante. A big part of Veronica had hoped throughout her formative years that Keith had been her dad; she'd even stolen some hair from him once to do a test to make sure. Sadly, he wasn't, but it hadn't made her love him any less.

When her own parents had died in a plane crash several years earlier, just before Veronica's eighteenth birthday, it'd been Keith that had picked her up and taught her how to live in a world without them.

Sighing softly at the memory of those years, Veronica looked over at her worried uncle. "I'm just tired, Uncle K. I've never felt so confused before if that makes any sense and…" Veronica's eyes darted to James, who smiled encouragingly, "ashamed, I guess. I'm not supposed to have any sort of feelings for a _kid_, it's just wrong and disgusting and—"

Keith held up a hand, his face grave as she'd ever seen it. "Look, Veronica. I'm not saying that your attraction to Logan is right, but you shouldn't beat yourself up about it, 'cause I know you're not gonna act on it until he's eighteen…right?"

Veronica smiled, promising herself never to reveal just what had happened with Logan already. _He does need some peace of mind, doesn't he? _She thought with an invisible shudder of self-loathing. "Right…"

"Well, I'm gonna head back to my place and catch some shuteye," James cut through the tension with his booming voice, "that Cindy girl keep calling me at the crack of dawn with updates and crap. Gosh, she's an _annoying_ little thing. Night all!"

Veronica frowned thoughtfully before glancing over at Keith, who was smiling tiredly. "Maybe you're not the only one who's got something cooking for a younger person," he pointed out softly.

The idea of Mac and James together gave Veronica goosebumps and she grimaced. "He's too old…" she trailed off regretfully when she realized that her words were not important considering what she was doing with Logan. _Besides_, she thought sadly, _since he's a guy, the most people will do is frown a little while secretly congratulating the old dog for the young catch. It never works the other way around when it's an older woman…Except in Demi and Ashton's case, I guess_…

"I don't want to talk about it anymore," Veronica said, getting up from her seat and heading for her bedroom. "I'm gonna go to bed and charge up for a new school day as Logan Echolls' newest conquest. Goody."

Keith smiled, his eyes serious but comforting at the same time. "'Night, Honey. I'm not gonna be here for a few days, there's a convention I have to go to. Deputy Lamb will be available though, if you need any help from the strapping Neptunian law system."

This time, Veronica grinned and turned back to look at her uncle with a teasing look in her eye that had been missing the whole evening. "_Lamb_? Seriously, I'm never gonna be that desperate. Besides," she added with her head tilted sideways, "I didn't think you'd ever trust him around me again, considering the date he wanted to take me on last time I visited."

"Gaw! Don't remind me, and forget I said anything before I have to bleach out my eyes at the memory of his lovesick eyes. Go to your room, Veronica."

"Sir, yes Sir," she saluted with her mood lifted and went to her room as ordered.

**0o0o0**

Talking about being Logan Echolls' flavor of the month and actually parading around Neptune high as Logan's newest conquest was two _massively_ different things and Veronica decided after the first shocked glances of the students around her that she did not like it one bit.

"So my darling," to call Logan's tone sarcastic was an enormous understatement and only Veronica's training kept her from rolling her eyes in public, "is this all you hoped for?" His voice sent shivers down her spine as he leaned back from whispering in her ear in the quad and for one brief moment, the blonde didn't know whether to smack him or kiss him.

"Oh yeah," settling on familiar grounds, Veronica kept her tone light and sarcastic as well, "I don't know how I _ever_ survived without you before."

"Glad you're aware of it, at least."

"I'm so aware it's dangerous to my mental health."

"Then it's _great_ you're not supposed to be all that smart, ain't it?"

"So now you're calling me _stupid_?"

"Deceitful is a _much_ prettier word."

"You two are so sickly sweet that I'm not gonna eat dessert today," Meg's cheery voice broke through the bantering would-be couple and they both turned away from each other to see all of the people around the table staring straight at them with varying degrees of humor and disgust on their faces.

"_What_?" They chorused, both unaware of the fact that they'd just spent several minutes in their own little, albeit snarky, world.

Caitlin Ford, one of Logan's last 'companions' sneered silently while her eyes drank in the sight of her former lover. The look irritated Veronica so much that she instinctively wove her hand across Logan's waist and leaned into him. She could feel him tense up at the same time she realized just what she'd been doing, but to keep in character as the in love teenage girl, Veronica didn't move back and to his credit, Logan soon relaxed and acted normally again.

_I guess he does have a lot of practice with clingy girlfriends_, Veronica's mood soured at the thought and she straightened back up in the guise of reaching for her water bottle on the table.

Her mood didn't get any better when, after two days of acting like a dimwit in love, fawning over Logan's admittedly sensual body, James pulled them both aside and told them to make an opportunity of the fact that both of Logan's parents were currently in Neptune with his sister, Trina. "Perhaps," James finished quickly at the deadly scowls he'd been receiving ever since beginning his demand, "this'll be a great chance to snoop around for you Ronnie and this way you can try and make something slip like you're so good at."

"What does he mean by that?" Logan looked down at Veronica, who had a sudden urge to fidget uncomfortably at the penetrating stare she was getting.

"Nothing," she replied, glaring over at her partner, "James just always envied me my boobs and their ability to get men's attention and thus making me a lot better at closing my cases than he is."

"So," Logan had an unidentifiable glint in his eye that for some reason got Veronica's heart pumping faster, "you're good at using your body? I'm gonna look forward to—"

"Let's just keep everything here PG-rated," James interrupted before Veronica could do something stupid like kiss her fake boyfriend. "I'll call you Echolls for more details, but make sure it's set up before the end of the week, 'cause I'm starting to get a big itch to leave this town. I wanna head back to civilization and the real world."

"Yeah…" Veronica felt oddly hesitant and above all guilty when she glanced at Logan's shoes instead of his face as she agreed, "me too."

James slapped her on the back and nodded cheerfully at Logan before leaving the room to the two others.

"Well that was just all fun and giggles," Logan smirked and if Veronica hadn't been so in tune to whatever that boy said or did, she'd probably not have noticed the almost disappointed light in his eyes and her guilt turned up another notch. "I guess I have to go organize a family get together with the works. I just _love_ this idea, Sugarpuss."

"Logan…wait," Veronica began, but it was too late to stop him from leaving her alone in the classroom.

_Well_, she tried seeing the bright light_, if I can get Aaron to slip up during that dinner, I might be able to leave town before anyone gets hurt or I break the law by sleeping with a minor_…

The memory of Logan's expression when James had talked about leaving town reentered Veronica's mind and she sighed heavily. _If only things could be easy on me once in a while_, she wished fervently as she slowly made herself put on her 'high school' expression again.

Veronica was beaming widely with a heavy heart when she opened the door to the hallway, a moment later. Shed startled a bit when she saw Logan waiting for her with a small smirk dancing on his lips. "Couldn't leave without you, Baby," he explained loudly before murmuring more quietly so passersby couldn't overhear, "if I did, people would just think we'd split up already and that's not good for the whole _plan_ thing, right."

Swallowing back her almost reflexive urge to comfort him and apologize for what she was asking of him, Veronica smiled as the lovesick girl she acted like, "I'm glad you didn't leave without me, Sweetie."

Logan's jaw flexed as he clenched his teeth, but his smile was as hard to see through as Veronica's was and they just walked hand in hand to their next class of the day, both ignoring the tiny part of themselves that had a desire to just keep on walking out to the parking lot and leave together.

**TBC**…

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><p><em>AN At least I know what'll happen in the next chapter (somewhat at least) so hopefully the next wait won't be as long. Thanks for reading and if possible, reviewing!_

_Until Next Time_

_Ditte Mai_


	10. Chapter 10

**I don't own VM or any of its franchise – or else Season four would've been a reality.**

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><p>Unbetaed chapter, so any mistakes are my fault. If you catch one though, please let me know :)<p>

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><p><em>AN So, had to get this out so at least one of my stories' chapters didn't end in a cliffhanger for too long. Happy people still seem interested in this little work. It's gonna be shorter than most of you probably like, but hopefully it'll be good enough despite that. Enjoy!_

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><p><strong>CHAPTER <strong>**NINE**

"_Ronnie, you can't kill him, I repeat, you _can't_ kill the suspect!" _

James voice in Veronica's ear did _nothing_ to soothe her anger and frustration. Instead, she took a deep breath and stared at her reflection in the bathroom mirror. Her face was pale with flushed cheeks that was a clear sign to anyone that knew her that she was pissed.

Suddenly, there was a cool, slimy sensation on her hands and she looked down, only to find them clenched roughly around an expensive looking soap dispenser. The soap had leaked out and was running down her hands in big streams and the feel of it, gave Veronica a chance to focus on something else for a little while.

The evening had begun nicely enough, and Veronica had managed to use all of her training to act like she was in awe of Aaron Echolls instead of revealing how she truly felt; that she wanted to strangle him to death and whip him as he'd so obviously done to his only son. _Asshole_.

When Logan had come to pick her up at her uncle's place, like any decent teenage boy hoping to get lucky always did, Veronica smiled a little at the way his eyes damn near devoured her in her simple, red dress. It wasn't very revealing per say, but the way it laid on her skin like a second layer didn't hide much. Secretly, Veronica _had_ bought the dress for just this reaction, even though she'd proclaimed loudly to a smirking James that it was the perfect dress to lure in Aaron Echolls and would he _please_ stop looking at her like that.

It took a few minutes to equip Logan with the necessary listening devices in his ears and a small camera that was strategically placed on the white necklace that he never took off. After that, the fake couple got into Logan's X-terra and drove towards the Echolls mansion, unobtrusively tailed by James in a nondescript, but very cliché, black van.

Despite an undercurrent of tension in the car, Veronica wasn't uncomfortable. In fact, a small part of her enjoyed the close proximity to the boy she…err, admired even as a bigger part was busy belittling her for her attraction to the younger male. Judging from the way, Logan's fingers were turning white around the steering wheel; he wasn't as relaxed as Veronica was.

After a few minutes of growing tension, Veronica decided to break the silence and try to calm him down a bit. "It's not that big of a deal, Logan. I promise it's just a dinner and then I'm out of your hair before you know it."

To her surprise, Logan didn't seem to be soothed by her words; in fact, he seemed to get more agitated with every sentence. "It's not you being there that I'm concerned about, Veronica," he muttered as he drove up to the gate to his house, pressing some sort of code to let the gates open without much of a fuss.

"I'm more worried about who's gonna be there overall." He finished, pulling into his personal parking space not too far from the main door. "I mean," He explained at Veronica's frown, "Aaron's gonna be there and I know it's part of your big plan or whatever, but he's not a great actor for nothing, okay. He's really good at deceiving and manipulating and I'm…Fuck, I'm embarrassed, all right, 'cause it's gonna go like it always does. He's gonna sit there and insult not only me, but my mother as well, while Trina hangs on his every word, quietly begging for money or another crappy extra job and I don't want you to see that."

_Oh, he really is ashamed of his family. It's weird that the F.B.I. profilers missed that in their file on him,_ Veronica thought seriously even as she reached out and gently grasped Logan's shoulder, giving it a comforting squeeze before letting go.

"Don't worry, Logan. I've seen some of the worst scum on the planet during my time in the Agency, so one actor and his shenanigans won't be a problem."

Logan sighed heavily, almost like he was forcing out his insecurities before going into battle, and Veronica smiled at his antics. "Fine," he murmured, getting out of the car to go open the door for her as a proper boyfriend would. "But for the record, don't say I didn't warn you, okay?"

"Okay," she smiled and took his hand. "Lead the way, Echolls."

**0o0o0**

Fifteen minutes later, found Veronica both a lot less naïve and a _lot_ more pissed off. She'd known, of course, that Aaron Echolls was a despicable guy as soon as she'd realized his sleeping around with young girls such as the deceased murder victim, Lilly Kane and the still alive Madison Sinclair. Finding out his abuse of his son had only cemented that knowledge of his person in Veronica's mind.

_Of course_, she thought with a downright painful smile on her face as she pretended to find one of the actor's inane jokes amusing, _that was only the beginning of my knowledge. Now I can add sleaze ball, bastard and all around creep to the list as well_.

"…and _that's_ when the judge walked in. Get it?" Aaron chuckled merrily at his confusing and yet slightly perverted joke, considering Veronica was supposed to be a teenage girl dating his son. Fortunately, Veronica was used to doing things she didn't like, so she merely kept the fake smile plastered on her face, perhaps gripping Logan's fingers a tad too tightly as a way to let off some steam.

"Oh, Mr. Echolls, you're so funny." Veronica giggled, hiding her head shyly in Logan's arm, keeping her role intact as the dimwitted but lovable blonde.

Lynne, Logan's mom walked over to them, followed by Logan's sister, Trina. "Dinner's ready, Mrs. Navarro says we should hurry before it gets cold. Come this way, please." She murmured quietly to Veronica, leading the way into the dining room which was set up way to extravagant for the young agent's personal taste.

_It's too_…Veronica mentally searched for the right word for a second before she found it, _perfect._ _It's like they're trying to impress me with all the splendor and Brady Bunchy vibe._ _It'd probably work on someone who wasn't totally creeped out by the patriarch of the family. _

Five minutes later, Veronica had added Trina Echolls to her list of people that she really disliked. The redhead had a superiority complex a mile wide and she'd already revealed her true colors of shallowness two minutes after the help, Mrs. Navarro had carefully placed the appetizer in front of her and almost spilled it.

"Daddy," she whined childishly with a pout that wouldn't look out of place on a three year old, "Don't you think the help is getting to be a little too old to handle this everyday thing; I mean, she clearly lost some of her edge over the years and—"

"Stop talking, Trina," Logan spat with a fake smile that definitely warned his sister off, "Mrs. Navarro is cool. You just don't like her 'cause she used to send you to timeout when you tried stealing from Dad's wallet."

"Kids, Kids," Aaron's voice was benign and _almost_ grandfatherly. Veronica would've believed him if she hadn't seen the hint of rage in his eyes before he concealed it. "Let's not do this in front of company, shall we?"

Veronica smiled as if she hadn't understood a word and daintily began eating, all the while processing Logan's sudden protectiveness of the elderly Latina. She was surprised due to the fact that just a week ago, she'd heard him taunt Eli 'Weevil' Navarro, her grandson and threaten her job. _I guess he really does care for her_, she surmised correctly, watching silently as the elderly woman gently placed a plate in front of Logan with the first genuine smile of the evening.

_I bet she's the only real evidence he's seen of a normal human being in this house_, Veronica swallowed back her growing anger and loudly exclaimed that the appetizer was the best thing she'd ever tasted.

As the dinner progressed, and Veronica got a clearer and clearer picture of the Echolls family dynamics that would've told her of Logan's abuse even if she hadn't seen the marks herself, Veronica found it more and more difficult to maintain her role as the ditzy cheerleader that was more interested in calorie intake than the fact that her boyfriend was being mistreated…_and his mother too, judging from the way she never meets my eyes and drinks more than all of us combined,_ Veronica thought sadly.

It was during dessert that Veronica finally caught a glimpse of the Aaron that screwed little girls and videotaped them in secret. Lynne and Trina excused themselves to the bathroom, although Veronica had a pretty strong inkling that they were going out to drink some more in hiding (Lynne) and smoke or possibly take a hit of a certain white powder (Trina). Following James' order in his ear, Logan too excused himself to supposedly go answer a call he'd received earlier, while in reality he was taking the time to set up more hidden cameras and subsequently giving Veronica her chance to be alone with his dad.

"So, Veronica," Aaron leaned back in his chair and sent her his academy award winning smile, "I hear you're new to Neptune, living with the Sheriff, am I right?"

"Wow," Veronica giggled, seemingly in awe of the man in front of her, "I can't believe Aaron Echolls is curious about little ol' me. I'm not that interesting. I mean, I live with my Uncle Keith 'cause my parents are too busy fighting right now over who gets what in the settlement, if you catch my drift."

Aaron took on a concerned and sympathetic mask that once again told Veronica he really was one hell of an actor, "I'm sorry that you're going through that. At least Keith's a good man, so we don't have to worry about him living with a pretty girl like you. I mean, rumors in Neptune tend to spiral out of control if one's not too careful."

_Oh I bet you know all about that kind of thing_, Veronica hissed mentally while outwardly her smile never wavered. In fact, she leaned forward a bit to show off her chest in the least subtle way she could. "Well, I'm glad there are such good men around Neptune to look out for me. I bet Logan gets his manners from you, Sir."

"Please," Aaron leaned forward and placed his hands on Veronica's on the table, "call me Aaron, I don't like to sound so old, makes me think of my old man."

"Of course…_Aaron_." Veronica smiled abashedly and looked away for one brief moment, only to lock eyes with Logan, who was hiding in the doorway with an indescribable look in his hazel eyes that shook her in her foundations. It was only her vigorous training that kept her able to maintain her expression as she looked back at the actor, who may or may not have killed Lilly Kane. "I have to admit, I've always admired your work. You are quite talented," she added in a husky voice.

Aaron's eyes were glued to her cleavage when he replied in a similar tone of voice, "Trust me, Veronica; it's not only acting, I do all my own stunts too – keeps me fit and strong for any type of bodily work. I'm eager to please…my fans with _all_ of me whenever I can."

_I'll show you pleasure when I stick this fork down your throat,_ Veronica thought with a big innocent smile. "I'm sure you're good at pleasing your fans," she said and discreetly removed her hand from his touch before she followed through with her initial desire.

Fortunately, Aaron didn't see her removal as a rejection. Instead, he leaned backwards in his chair with a charming smile on his face. "I like you, Veronica. So, while the rest of the family's taking a breather, would you like to show you around? We've got a lot space here, there's even a state of the art pool house where I spend a lot of my time preparing between movie shoots."

"I'd love to see where the magic happens," Veronica answered and got up from her seat, making sure to show as much bare skin as possible. "But I'm afraid I have to go powder my nose before the others come back. But I'll definitely be interested some other time," she hinted heavily, hoping he'd take the bait despite the obviousness of it.

"I'll hold you to that," Aaron said after a long, tense moment where Veronica had to fight off the urge to go take a shower, washing off the entire night. His eyes, so like Logan's that it was disturbing, eyed her body like a buffet, "I'll _definitely_ hold you to that."

"I look forward to it, Aaron," Veronica forced through her lips and turned to the nearest bathroom before she could do something horrible to the man, who claimed to love his kid, but still came on to his girlfriends.

Veronica smiled sweetly over her shoulder, letting her eyes glide seductively down Aaron's admittedly handsome frame before she finally turned a corner and stormed into the nearest bathroom.

"I'm gonna kill him," she whispered fervently, fighting off the urge to slam her hand through the mirror. "He's a disgusting _pig_ and I'm gonna pull of his dick and shove down his throat in little pieces."

For the first time that night, James' voice rang in her ear, trying futilely to calm her down. _"Ronnie, you can't kill him, I repeat, you _can't_ kill the suspect!" _

The feeling of the slimy soap on her skin, brought Veronica back from her replay of the evening and she started washing her hands, all but rubbing her skin raw where Aaron's hand had touched hers.

Suddenly, the door opened and Veronica saw Logan enter as she looked up in the mirror. His expression was as solemn as she'd ever seen it before his eyes glanced down to her abused hands.

"I never realized how much you have to put up with in your line of work," he murmured, gently shutting off the scolding water and grabbing a soft towel under the sink to dry her hands gently. "It was downright painful to watch you throw yourself at him like that, but I bet it's even harder for you to actually do it. I'm sorry I treated you bad when I first found out about you."

"Don't be, Logan," Veronica objected. "I did lie to you and…Well, it's a job and I have to get through it to prove that he actually murdered your girlfriend. Besides," she continued quietly, "it's not like it's the worst thing that has ever happened to me during the job."

"Maybe not," Logan whispered, pulling her closer inch by inch until his face was almost close enough to kiss, "but none of the people you've worked to get before was my father. The fact that he eyed you like a piece of meat made me sick and I wanted to hurt him. I don't like seeing you uncomfortable, you're too strong. I like that you're smarter than everyone else, that you have the ability to act so stupid that even Caitlin seems intelligent. I just like you, Veronica and I hated seeing him touch you like you were his when you're really—."

"_Hate to be a buzz kill, people,"_ James' voice suddenly sounded in their ears simultaneously, _"but you really have to think about the case and the fact that Ronnie's not a real schoolgirl and—"_

"James," Veronica bit out through gritted teeth, her eyes never leaving Logan's, "turn off the comm. Turn it off right now."

There was a small sigh in their ears before there was a little beep that signified his compliance to Veronica's demand.

The tension grew between the two for one long minute before Logan finally just rolled his eyes with a small groan and pulled Veronica the rest of the way into his arms, slanting his warm lips across hers in a deep kiss. It was as if the kiss immediately bled out all of the frustration she'd been feeling the entire night, replacing it with the now familiar passion she'd come to associate Logan's kisses with.

A moment later, Logan removed his lips from hers and enveloped her tiny body in his arms in a hug that seemed to give Veronica just as much pleasure as the kiss and without really knowing why, Veronica's arms came around Logan's waist in a tight embrace that seemed to soothe the raging passion just beneath the surface.

Veronica didn't know how long they stood in each other's arms, giving and receiving comfort in equal measures, but eventually her common sense returned and she pulled away. "Thanks," she said gratefully, turning to the mirror to reapply the makeup the kiss had ruined. "I really needed that."

"Yeah, me too." Logan sounded almost surprised by his own honesty, but then he smirked that smirk that she'd come to rely on and added, "Although the kissing weren't exactly your best work, now was it."

"Beat it, Kid;" Veronica growled teasingly, "you haven't seen the best of me yet."

"Oh, I sincerely hope not," Logan grinned, his usual cocky behavior shining through and Veronica realized with a small start that she'd missed that all night, ever since they'd walked into the Echolls' mansion and Aaron's clouding presence had fallen over them both.

"Talk to me when you're eighteen, Buddy and I'll rock your world," the words left Veronica's lips before she'd even thought them through and she looked up at Logan with widened eyes.

"I mean…These kisses…what's happened between us, can't happen again. I…" she trailed off uncertainly as Logan's gaze grew more and more intense with every word.

"I'll need your number," was all he said after another long moment of silence.

"What?"

"For when I do turn eighteen," he explained and bent down to peck her lips innocently, "'cause trust me, Veronica, there's no way in hell I'm stopping with a few kisses when _that_ happens."

Veronica stared at the door he'd closed softly behind him as he left the bathroom. Moving robotically, Veronica pulled out her cell and texted James to reopen the connection. A second later, his voice was back in her ear and Veronica took a deep breath and went back into the dining room to fulfill her job.

As soon as she got home later that evening, Veronica ran into her room and looked through Logan's file. She acted like she didn't know what exactly she was looking for, but her eyes were all but glued to that little piece of information that told her exactly when he'd been born.

_Only one year_, she thought to herself, even as her self-loathing tried belittling her for her attraction as always, _it's only one year away…_

**TBC**…

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><p><em>AN _**Only**_ one year…can she wait that long? Lol. Anyway, thanks for reading and reviewing, it really makes my day!_

_Until Next Time_

_Ditte Mai_


	11. Chapter 11

**I don't own VM or any of its franchise, if I did, CW would stop making crappy shows and go back and finish this amazing series in a much better way!**

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><p><em>AN Short chapter, be warned. But I wanted to put something up one last time this year for this story. I've had this sitting on my computer half-finished since forever and due to real life issues I have nearly no energy to write, but I promised myself I would update before Christmas. Speaking of which, Happy Christmas and let's hope we see the New Year;)_

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><p>Unbetaed, sorry.<p>

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><p><strong>CHAPTER TEN<strong>

As soon as her alarm clock started beeping, Veronica just _knew_. She knew that her day was about to be one of those bad ones where it would be better to just call in sick and burrow down on the couch and watch movies while chowing down impossible amounts of Ben & Jerry's cookie dough ice cream.

In reality though, Veronica settled for a big and loud groan that scared Back-up off the bed with an undignified whelp that really wasn't fit for a pit-bull. After a long shower and two cups of black coffee, she finally emerged from the Mars residence with some semblance of normality.

A moment later, she stopped in surprise. Waiting in the parking lot as if he did these kinds of things every day, was Logan. He was leaning up against his yellow monstrosity of a car with a familiar smirk dancing on his lips. "Morning, Sugarlips," he greeted her, politely opening the passenger door for her as he spoke.

The drive to Neptune High was surprisingly fun and they bantered the whole way there, acting as if their intense moment in the Echolls' bathroom hadn't happened. A tiny part of Veronica was sad, disappointed even that it seemed to be so easy for Logan, but the more mature part of her took it to mean that his affections for her was merely psychical attraction and that she should keep up guarding her heart…and follow the law, of course.

Veronica had almost forgotten her weird inkling from she'd felt as she got up earlier when she exited the car and linked her hand together with Logan's. The feeling crept back into her the moment she entered the one class she had with James as her teacher.

Her partner looked more serious than she'd seen him in a while; the last time in fact he'd looked similar had been when he'd carried her out of a former undercover location with her being nearly dead in his arms from a gunshot wound to the chest. The feeling of unease intensified when, as the last student trickled in, his demeanor didn't lighten up.

The minutes went by slowly and it wasn't until the bell rang and people shot out of their seats that Veronica took a risk and walked up to her friend. "Are you okay?" she murmured, fingering some chalk to seem a little less interested than she really was.

James kept to his character as there were a few students still lingering in the room, "Miss Mars, your lack of attention to this class and your asinine comments written in your essay work has forced me to contact your guardian to have a serious talk with both of you to better understand what'll happen in the coming school year. You should expect a call from me later today when things aren't so busy for me."

With that, James stood up and left without another word. His words may have sounded like a thorough dressing down to some, and judging from the mix of pity and superiority Veronica spotted in the other students' eyes as she left the room by herself, people had noticed their conversation.

In reality, Veronica had instantly interpreted her partner's words and was left reeling from them with a sense of foreboding that completely blew her earlier unease out of the water. James needed her and Keith to go home to their apartment and he had something _very_ serious to tell them, but couldn't until they'd completely checked their home for listening devices and other things like that.

Without questioning her partner, Veronica immediately began acting sick and within a mere hour, she'd convinced the school nurse and whomever was around that she was like totally sick and needed to go home before she got even worse. She'd called Keith to come pick her up and he came barreling into the parking lot and helped her into his car with as much tenderness as though she really was on death's door.

Out of the corner of her eye, Veronica caught Logan being surrounded by people worried for him due to his new girl's sickness but the quick look of amusement he sent her way told her that once again she hadn't managed to fool him.

_One day, Mr. Echolls,_ Veronica thought with a barely there smile in return, _one day I'll get you believing in one of my lies, I promise you…_

**0o0o0**

A little while later, the two Mars' sat around in uncomfortable silence, too paranoid to say anything despite having searched the place for bugs.

They didn't have to wait long before James unceremoniously burst through the door and eyed them both seriously. Veronica didn't enjoy the somber look on her partner's face; it was almost unbecoming for the normally so cheery man to look so grave, unnatural even.

"All clear," Keith murmured after a lengthy pause where James seemed ready to sweep the apartment himself as an extra precaution.

"Now tell us what's going on?" Veronica ordered gently, with her heart in her throat.

James sighed, ran a hand through his hair wearily and slowly made his way over to one of the available armchairs. Only after he' sat there for a long minute, did the F.B.I agent finally open his mouth.

"The people upstairs keep getting flack from Kane senior, he's impatient and they're agreeing that things are moving too slow, so they're sending a guy to check up on us – they're sending Craig Jackson."

Veronica cursed, ignoring her uncle's confused looks in her direction while James explained, "He's a stickler for the rules and he's infamous for butting in and ruining things if they're not by the books, which means that," James' eyes went to Veronica, before looking back at a slowly comprehending Keith, "that the whole thing with Echolls and him knowing about us will get everyone in deep shit. Veronica especially, she may lose her job."

"And Logan's gonna be in trouble too," Veronica muttered, the thought of her dream job in danger oddly enough not freaking her out as much as Logan's probable difficulties did.

Keith looked between the two agents with a serious look in his eyes that gave the impression that he was already trying to figure out a solution to their problems. "What now then?"

"We play by the books too," James replied, holding up a hand when Veronica frowned, "and _quietly_ explain things more to Logan and-and Cindy."

Veronica filed away the obvious concern for the teenage girl that James showed, but didn't say anything about it. _At least if the worry means what I think it does, then I'll have someone who truly understands what I'm going through…_

"When is Craig coming, do you know that?" Veronica asked after a brief silence and James nodded.

"Officially in two days, but you know as well as I do that he's not known for doing the expected when he's unofficially looking for broken rules. That's why I was so cautious today – in case he'd been sniffing around already, we needed to make it look like we weren't doing anything we're not allowed to."

"Good point," Keith said and then sighed heavily before continuing. "I guess that means we'll have to expect further delay on the Kane case now. If that Johnson guy is gonna be distracting us and all," he added when Veronica looked at him questioningly.

"Not really," she replied after a quick look at James. "I'm betting he's gonna tow the company line about aiding our investigation while looking our work through on the sly. That means that despite everything, we'll be one more person to solve the murder and since I'm pretty sure already that Aaron Echolls is somehow involved, it's not gonna take that long."

"You really think so?" Keith asked and Veronica nodded with determination.

"That's what I would've done if I was in Craig's shoes."

"Fine then," James rubbed the back of his neck tiredly. "Then let's go chat up the kids and let them in on the problem and see what'll happen then, okay?"

Veronica agreed and decided to take action immediately by driving over to Logan's place and tell him what to expect the upcoming days.

_Let's just hope that his natural aversion to authority figures doesn't come back to bite us all in the ass,_ she thought as she started the Le Baron up and drove out of the parking lot with a worried frown marring her face.

**0o0o0**

Veronica had already pulled into the Echolls driveway, when she realized the obvious; it was still barely after noon, which meant that Logan was still trapped at school for several more hours.

"Shit," she cursed and slammed her hands into the steering wheel in frustration. _What now?_ She thought and eyed the mansion cautiously. _If Aaron is home, he's definitely not gonna let me go without a creepy remark or a grope or two and I doubt that even my acting abilities can stand that with the mood I'm in right now_…

"I could go back to school and spew some bull about miraculously getting better but that'll lessen my shot at being trusted by the right people in the future if there's ever another emergency," she murmured and restarted the car to drive away, not willing to be caught sitting innocently in the driveway.

Twenty minutes later, Veronica was down at the beach. She sat down in the warm sand and took a moment to enjoy the sound of the waves and the smell of the ocean in the air before her thoughts once again took over everything and she lost herself to her worries.

"Hey you," Logan's voice ripped her out of her thoughts some time later, and Veronica looked up with a start. Logan's easy smirk was dancing on his lips and he held up his hands in front of him, "Don't look at me like that, I swear I'm not stalking you. I was just driving by and happened to recognize that senior vehicle of yours and decided to look for you."

"We need to talk," the words blurted out of her mouth and Veronica watched, half in sadness, as the easy going look in Logan's eyes dimmed and he turned serious. A few minutes later, she'd told him about the upcoming difficulty that was Craig Johnson and stressed the need for carefulness.

"So," Logan said after a long, tense pause where his eyes had been glued to the ocean in front of them, "tell me again why I need to worry as much as you obviously do right now."

Veronica had a brief urge to stomp in the sand like a two-year old at the lack of concern Logan showed, but wisely refrained from it, knowing it wouldn't get the young man to take her seriously.

"If Craig realizes what's been going on between us; that you in fact know everything and aren't just being used for cover he could make things very hard on everyone. I'd be lucky if losing my job was the end of it all and I can't even imagine what he'd force on you."

"He'll probably try to recruit me or something; doesn't sound too bad," Logan said, sitting down on the sand next to her.

Veronica rolled her eyes, "Sure, it sounds oh-so-great to be an F.B.I agent and all that, but trust me, and with your attitude and lack of respect for anything it won't be a pleasant experience. Besides they could just end up putting you in jail if everything else fails. And…" she trailed off and it was only Logan's 'go on' gesture with his hand that made her add quietly, "…and I won't be allowed near you no matter which option you choose."

"That sucks," Logan said with a somber smile. "Better figure out a plan then."

"You're telling me," Veronica replied, resisting the urge to lean into his shoulder and instead just lying down fully on the soft sand. "Why do you think I was out here thinking in the first place?"

"Point well made as ever, Mars," Logan grinned and lay down beside her and they stopped talking and both silently just enjoyed their closeness in a rare moment of complete unity.

**TBC**…

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><p><em>AN Hopefully you didn't all hate it, but if you did review and tell me why:) If you didn't, review and tell me why:) _

_Until Next Time_

_Ditte Mai_


	12. AN

**A/N**

I'm so sorry to do this in this manner, but after having struggled to complete the latest chapter, I've come to the decision that I'll put Undercover on a temp. hiatus.

This should a) enable me to write the story out completely and b) stop making me feel so guilty when my inspiration fluxuates so much which I truly _never_ expected and c) be a sure way to make sure that I _can_ finish the story soon once I start posting again since I've decided not to do so until I've finished this story.

I have other stories that speak to me more these days and one in particular that has taken me way too long to finish also and I shall try to focus on that so I won't have so many work in progress stories.

The alternative to this is that I completely **remove** the story and then re-upload it **once it's finished** to ensure that no one finds the story and hate the wait it will cause them...

What do _you_ think? Hiatus for now or removal and then re-uploading once upon in the future?

I'll do whatever the majority rules and again, sorry for this not being an update...

Ditte Mai


	13. Chapter 13

**I don't own VM or any of its franchise.**

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><p><em>AN Well, hi all. Remember me? I'm still alive and somewhat well. I finally decided to focus a little on this story again and this (very) short chapter came out. I see it as a way to get my feet wet again. I'll try to write something longer next time, but expect a little wait as I'm on holiday and won't be home until a week and a half from now. That said, I think I can honestly say that I'm glad to be back and despite some PM's and reviews all but damming me to hell for pairing V up with student Logan. Now back to business, you should probably re-read the story to remind yourself what's been going on;) Okay, sorry for the massive AN I just hope you won't be too disappointed after the long wait. Enjoy!_

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><p><strong>Unbetaed, all mistakes are my own, sorry.<strong>

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><p><strong>CHAPTER ELEVEN<strong>_  
><em>

To say that Veronica was on pins and needles was a big understatement, probably even more so when she first laid eyes on Craig's blue eyes across the classroom when he walked in an introduced himself as the new teaching assistant to James.

How they managed that feat, making that bulgy middle-aged man look average and boring was beyond even Veronica's vivid imagination. Not that she tried using it too much to be honest. Craig's entire being screamed soldier to anyone taking a closer look, and in that moment, Veronica was looking pretty closely.

The older man had scanned the room as James introduced what they were going to be doing that day, and as their eyes met, Veronica hadn't been able to ignore the flash of disgust mixed with lust that had been in his eyes. She _still_ shuddered just thinking about it.

Now, as the class was ending, and the bell about to ring at any moment, Veronica was ready to do the unprofessional thing and bolt. She didn't want to talk to the religious rule follower that admittedly was too smart for her to hustle.

_But_, she thought wearily,_ I'm not a coward, so I better do the right thing and get it over with._

Another few moments were spent fiddling with her bag as the rest of the students walked out, and then Veronica took a deep breath before she slowly made her way up to her fellow agents.

"Welcome to Neptune High, Craig," she greeted blandly.

Craig nodded just as blandly, his eyes showing none of the lust she'd caught a glimpse at earlier, thankfully.

"I know that the two of you are the golden duo of partners, but," Craig straightened up, no doubt trying to make himself seem more important, "I am here to make sure things do not escalate into a giant waste of time. Mr. Kane has expressed concerns as to how long the whole process has taken already and is understandably eager to locate the person who killed his daughter."

Veronica and James shared a glance, but neither got a chance to say anything as the other agent continued, "I will observe and keep check of everything as well as look at your findings to make sure nothing hasn't been overlooked."

There was a moment of uncomfortable silence, and then Veronica did what she did best, she jumped right into action, following the tentative plan Logan and she had formed. On the inside she was nervous, but showed nothing in her expression as she spoke, not even when Craig's eyes all but bugged out in shock and his mouth opened like a drowning fish.

"Well, since I know you will already have turned your focus on some of our suspects, I can tell you that we are now certain that Logan Echolls _isn't_ Miss Kane's murderer. In fact, he's shown to have a decent head on his shoulders and I've therefore decided to use him as a cover. He's now my boyfriend. His connections in the local community will see that I meet and have easy access to several people that we may or may not need to question in the future."

"Mars, that is completely against the rules." Craig's tone was indignant, as if the mere mention of rulebreaking was doing him in.

"Relax, Johnson," James stepped in for the first time, "Ronnie is more capable than any of us at keeping our covers straight. She's not gonna ruin anything and I'm willing to bet that she'll have the case solved in no time."

"Silence!" Craig demanded, not even looking at the other man. His gaze was firmly on Veronica, who was doing her damndest not to fidget like some unruly rookie agent.

"Do you have any idea what kind of trouble you're gonna find yourself in when this is all over? He's a _child_, leading him on like that is not only unethical it's plain disgusting. I can't believe you're willing to go that far, Mars."

"Whoa, relax," holding up a hand, Veronica stepped a little closer to the horrified agent. "I'm _not_ hurting Logan –and just for your information, that child is more mature than most of the adults in this God-_awful _town."

"That may very well be, but coercing with a minor is still wrong and illegal, Mars. We're talking statutory rape charges here, if you're not careful. That's one hell of a mark on one's record, you know."

"It would be, yeah," Veronica all but growled, "if there was such a thing taking place. Logan may be my boyfriend as my cover, but we're not doing that at all. At most, there have been a few kisses to keep him interested. That's all."

James' lips twitched and Veronica knew that he was dying to let loose one of his quips, but fortunately, her partner had seemed to find some kind of professionalism.

"That better be all," Craig said seriously and then turned to James. "I'm heading to that Camelot place to rest up. Later, I'll expect you both there to brief me on your progress and future plans. I have a meeting with the Kane's this Saturday, so I'd like to have something tangible to tell them."

"You do realize that this is an ongoing investigation and that the Kane's aren't really the one's running the show?" Veronica said, grabbing her book bag tightly to stop herself from swinging the thing in the older agent's smug face.

The expression on his face turned even worse, almost pitying, and Veronica could practically feel her blood pressure rising.

"Don't be so naïve, Mars," Craig cautioned just before turning to finally leave. "In this case, they're the bosses and let's not kid ourselves. See you later."

There was a beat of silence after he left and then James straightened up with a fake smile. "Well," he proclaimed loudly, "that went well."

"Shut up," was Veronica's reply before she stomped off to her next class.

**0o0o0**

Veronica's bad mood followed her throughout the rest of the school day. It was only Logan's timely intervention at lunch that saved Dick's life and her from truly blowing her cover by whipping out one of her concealed knives and ruining everything by stabbing the goofy 09'er in the neck.

Finally, the bell rang to signal the freedom that was awaiting her.

_Only_, Veronica thought sourly as she packed up her bag_, I don't get to go back to the apartment and chill, I have to go to a seedy motel and act cool and collected in front of the world's biggest douche_.

A half an hour later, found the blonde agent slowly trudging up the stairs to the room that James had texted her the number of earlier. She was still inwardly grumbling, but took pride in the fact that none of her moodiness could be spotted on her face.

A moment later, after a deep sigh, Veronica had knocked on the door and walked in to find that she was the first one to arrive and that Craig was still as big of a self-absorbed prick as he'd been since they'd met.

The reason for that conclusion? Veronica snorted and fought down a sudden urge to vomit at the sight of the other agent standing in front of the mirror in the room, wearing nothing but a towel and showing off his muscles…to himself.

"Sorry to interrupt your "me-time"", Veronica chose to be as obnoxious as possible and used air quotes around the last word before continuing with a smirk, "I can come back later if you want? Don't wanna come between you and your right hand."

Craig didn't flush, which was a little disappointing to the blonde agent, but she took credit in it being because they were in that moment interrupted by her partner's arrival.

James' raised brow told Veronica that he knew she'd been up to something, but willing to let it go for now. Craig cleared his throat and quickly dressed himself before ordering them to update him fully.

Sighing, Veronica did as she was told, promising herself to pay Jake Kane a little visit for being the one responsible for getting Craig involved.

**TBC…**

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><p><em>AN Until Next Time :)_


	14. Chapter 14

**I don't own VM or any of its franchise. Sad, I know…**

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><p><span>Unbetaed, all mistakes are my own, sorry!<span>

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><p><em>AN This may seem like a filler, but I swear it's leading up to stuff ;D Thanks for the lovely welcome back and the wonderful comments and pm's, they really made me smile and love you all even more. Glad you're happy I'm back to this weird little story. It's good to be back and on that note, go read and if possible; Enjoy!_

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><p><strong>CHAPTER TWELVE<strong>

It had been a couple of strenuous days and Veronica wanted nothing more than to just relax for a bit. Thankfully her thing with Logan had been a saving grace for her mind, every morning he picked her up at Keith's place. They made the most of their rare moments alone, filling them with laughter and their now well established banter to get through an otherwise grueling day.

Veronica cast a quick glance at Logan, who was sitting next to her in the quad of Neptune High, chatting amiably with Duncan Kane.

To Veronica's mild annoyance, the rich heir kept eyeing her whenever he thought she didn't notice. Judging from the look in his eyes, he liked what he saw and Veronica wasn't in the mood to have a teenage boy running after her with his tongue out of his mouth.

_Except_, her guilty conscience promptly pointed out, _you already have one of those, don't ya?_

Eager to distract herself, Veronica shook her head and forced her weary mind to refocus on what had been happening ever since James and she had met with Craig in his motel room.

With Jake Kane backing him and thus the department, Craig had successfully gotten his meaty hands on everything, including the notes that Veronica had compiled on Aaron Echolls.

_Thank God I hadn't written anything about the abuse down_. Veronica thought, _Logan would hate me if it became public knowledge._

A big part of the blonde agent knew very well that that shouldn't matter in the long run. Embarrassing the teenager was a low price to pay to put an abuser, possibly a murderer, behind bars.

_When did I become so worried about hurting him_? Veronica wondered, glaring a little at Duncan, who just kept on staring. _I'm essentially breaking rules by omitting important details all because it might ruin the way Logan gets perceived by not only his peers but the world. I'm an idiot…_

"Veronica?

Logan's voice broke her out of her self-hating thoughts, and she looked sideways, only to realize that while she'd been deep in thoughts, Logan had gotten up and now stood behind her with their lunch trays in one of his hands He was holding the free one out to her with a small smile on his lips.

"You need to get some books from your locker for your next class," he said and nodding in agreement, Veronica got to her feet.

"Wait for me." Duncan's voice suddenly rang out and Veronica had to swallow the urge to slap the guy. Not only was his puppy-dog staring at her annoying, but she was adult enough to realize that she had a lot of residual anger at the boy's father that he really didn't deserve to be on the receiving end of. He was still annoying though.

Ten minutes later, Logan led Veronica into their shared class hand in hand. It was James' class and normally Veronica enjoyed it, knowing that no matter how little she paid attention, her partner wouldn't mind.

_Well_, her angry side pointed out viciously as they sat down in their seats_. That was before Craig showed up. I hate looking at him, the way he switches between staring at me and glaring suspiciously at Logan is pissing me of more and more. I really need to finish this case so we can leave before Logan has enough and acts out. His trouble with authorities seems to clash a little too much with Craig's wish to follow every rule and regulation…_

James and his "teacher's little helper", Craig, entered the class and with a heavy sigh, Veronica straightened up and tried to look like she was paying attention.

**0o0o0**

It took a little under a week before Veronica mentally said, _Screw it_, and decided to put a stop to the youngest Kane's growing attachment to her.

He'd begun following her around in the hallway, sitting closer and closer to her in class and that day he'd nearly overheard one of her meetings with James and Craig. Enough was enough – If not for his own safety, then for _her_ sanity.

Without any warning whatsoever, Veronica walked up to him just as he was putting some books away in his locker, grabbed his arm and unceremoniously started dragging him to an unused classroom for a little chat.

"Look," she said, slamming the door after them as she turned to look at him. Veronica didn't get a chance to expand on her sentence though, because the next thing she knew, Duncan's lips were firmly on hers and he was kissing her for all he was worth.

In a matter of seconds, after Veronica's brain had simply screamed at how _wrong_ those lips felt upon hers, she had ripped herself off of Duncan, slammed her fist into his nose and slung him roughly across her shoulder where he landed harshly on the floor.

Thirty minutes after _that_, she was sitting in front of the school's vice principal, a tall, weary-looking man in his forties named Clemmons. Next to her sat Duncan with an icepack on his face that she'd all but slammed at his nose a moment ago when the blood just kept on coming from his no doubt broken appendage.

Behind the Kane heir stood his posh-looking parents. They were alternating between glaring at her and practically cooing at their injured son. Veronica wanted nothing more than to repeat the violence on the elder Kane when the door burst open and Craig stumbled in, a living reminder of how much his impatience had ruined her chances at a clean job well done.

"Miss Mars!" Craig bellowed, freezing in the next instant as his eyes connected with Jake Kane.

_Huh, interesting,_ Veronica thought, eyeing the two men and her fellow agent's immediate loss of color. _It seems like Jakey boy isn't aware of my undercover status or otherwise Craig the Buttmonkey wouldn't be so scared of him realizing my real self. Neato. _

Jake's eyes narrowed as he took in the other man's reaction and Veronica immediately jumped into the role she'd spent so long perfecting in an attempt to keep Craig from blurting out every little secret to the wealthy man.

"Look Mr. Johnson, I'm sorry I didn't show up for our scheduled thingie earlier, but I was like totally being attacked and had to defend myself just like my uncle Keith has taught me."

"So you admit that you injured my son?" Duncan's mother, Celeste, instantly swooped down upon the still sitting Veronica like an avenging angel.

On one hand, Veronica kind of admired the blind devotion the older woman had for her son and understood that she was bound to be overly protective after losing her daughter, but mostly she was just fed up with it all and a small part of her own personality flew out unrestricted.

"Excuse me? Did the whole "getting assaulted" fly right over your overly processed head?"

"Miss Mars," Clemmons interjected before anyone lost their dumbfounded expressions at her sass. Evidently, there weren't all that many people talking back to the Kane's.

_No wonder Lily was so rebellious—they're frozen stiff without any real effort and don't seem like cheery people at all_, Veronica thought and, not for the first time, she had an inkling that she and Lily Kane would probably have gotten along famously if they'd been the same age and if the girl wasn't in fact deceased.

Craig spoke again and broke her out of her thoughts, turning her mood even sourer when the bulky agent simply proceeded to apologize for Veronica's actions. In the end, it was only Clemmons' surprisingly dominant glare that kept her from spouting something that probably wouldn't have helped matters, and within fifteen minutes the matter was resolved.

At least resolved in the way that would make sure that the darling Kane heir wasn't implicated in a possible scandal and Veronica's records at the school wasn't darkened by the assault. If she'd actually been a teenage girl with a pure record, Veronica would more than likely have been happy with that and no suspension. As it was, she was growing a little bitter at the way the rich people in Neptune just could do no wrong.

"Don't start!" Veronica held up a hand, when Craig loomed over her as soon as the Kane family disappeared out of Clemmons office with the vice principal seeing them out himself. "I will make what I did to Duncan look like a love tap compared to what I'll do to you if you don't keep your mouth shut."

Craig scowled, but wisely stepped down. He seemed to remember the way she'd taken him down in training a few years back and didn't want a repeat.

"Smart man," Veronica mumbled and all but ran to her car so she could go back to her uncle's place and just shed her undercover skin for a little bit.

**0o0o0**

After a long shower with some of her music turned up way too loud if the neighbor's banging on the walls was any indication, Veronica felt a little more human.

She had dressed in a comfortable pair of sweats and a tank top and was just opening the fridge to make some quick dinner when the door opened and her uncle walked through it with a big smile on his face.

"What's cookin' Sugar?"

"Really?" Veronica tilted her head a little, closing the fridge when nothing inside tempted her. Apparently she was going to order in and keep being a disappointment to herself in terms of making time for decent nourishment. She shook of her maudlin thoughts and added with a teasing tone in her voice, "_That's_ the persona you're using today? Did you see some Western again, 'cause I remember telling you that was a big no no the other day, Uncle Keith."

Keith grinned and tipped an invisible hat on his head. "Yes Ma'am, I sure did."

"If I wasn't so tired, you'd be in big trouble, Mister."

Like a switch being turned on, Keith's expression turned surprisingly concerned. "Everything okay, Kiddo?"

Veronica smiled, happy in the knowledge that despite everything and their differences, Keith Mars would always have her back. "It's just been one of those days, you know."

Smiling, Keith reached over and gently squeezed her shoulder and walked to his bedroom without saying anything else to presumably shower if Veronica had to guess.

After a quick call to the nearest pizza joint, Veronica settled on the ratty couch with Back-up to loose herself in some trashy television.

A few minutes later, the doorbell rang and she groaned as she made her way off her comfy spot. She grabbed her wallet and shushed the protective Pit that she loved so much before opening the door to pay the pizza man.

Only it wasn't the pizza man, but a seemingly _very_ angry Logan Echolls, who immediately brushed past her to slam the door behind them. "Mind telling me why the _hell_ you thought it was a good idea to attack my best friend, Veronica?"

_Yup_, Veronica thought, and prepared herself for a no doubt exhausting discussion with her fake boyfriend; _it's just one of those damn days alright…_

**TBC**…

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><p><em>AN Thanks for reading, and I'd love a little (or big lol) review if possible :D  
><em>

_Until Next Time_


	15. Chapter 15

**I don't own VM or any of its franchise. Sorry.**

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><p>Unbetaed…Please let me know if there's any errors so I can correct them!<p>

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><p><em>AN First let me thank you for taking the time to review, it means the world to me. Especially since you're probably gonna hate me after reading this chapter. It's been planned since the start, believe it or not and it was one of the reasons I had no idea how to really move on from an earlier point. This did turn out to be a little too much for me, but it's done now and I hope you'll keep by my side despite this chapter. Sorry, sorry, soooo sorry!_

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><p><strong>CHAPTER THIRTEEN<strong>

It affected Veronica to have Logan so close to her, it affected her more than she was willing to admit. Especially right then and there – his anger giving his usual intensity a boost that inexplicably sent a rush of something way too south of Veronica's body.

Then he repeated his earlier question in a louder volume and Veronica came to her senses, even as she grew more and more irritated by the way things were eclipsing for her.

Before she could say anything, her uncle emerged from his bedroom and from the way he was eyeing them, Veronica knew he would be more than willing to shoot first and then ask questions later.

"Everything okay in here?" His tone was cautious, but unfailingly polite as he stared Logan down.

With a sigh, Veronica nodded and grabbed Logan's arm. "Everything's just fine, uncle Keith. Logan and I just have some stuff to talk about. We'll go outside so we won't bother you. There's money in my wallet for the pizza that's about to show. See you later."

Without giving Keith any chance to object, Veronica basically dragged the teenager with her outside and didn't stop until they reached the parking lot where Logan aggressively ripped his arm out of her grip and practically growled at her.

"I'm still waiting for some damned answers, Veronica!"

"Okay first of all, don't you take that tone with _me_, Logan!" Veronica snapped, backing one step away when the angry teen was way too close to her personal bubble in his rage. "And secondly, I don't owe you any explanation whatsoever!"

"He's my best friend! He's a fucking innocent guy, whose too damn naïve to deserve that kind of thing happening to him. You fucking broke his nose, Veronica! He's got two black eyes and he looks like he's been completely beaten down."

"Yeah well, maybe he deserved it. Just be happy I didn't pull out my tazer on him!" Veronica immediately wanted to take her words back, barely suppressing a grimace when Logan straightened up, looking even angrier.

"He's a civilian and you're probably training in several death inducing stunts, Miss Agent! He's not dangerous and if you've somehow decided to try and pin Lily's death on him, I'll—"

"Whoa!" Veronica held up a hand and did her best "I'm-right-you're-so-stupid"-stare. "Don't make me even dumber than you obviously think I am. You know damn well who I truly suspect of Lily's murder, so don't even!"

Taking a deep breath, Veronica tried to calm her temper, but it was a futile attempt as Logan disregarded her personal space yet again and stepped closer with a curse.

"Then it's even more messed up, Veronica! Duncan's not a fighter, no matter what you think he did, he damn well didn't need to be fucking humiliated!"

"But I deserved to be forced into accepting him assaulting me sexually, is that it?" Veronica screamed, "You're so…Argh, he fucking kissed me, all right? I didn't think and I'm sorry that he got so hurt, but dammit Logan, he had no right to touch me and I thought you were at least my friend enough to agree with that! I thought you weren't like the rest of this crazy town that seems to only listen to the 09'er people and ignore everyone else!"

Logan had frozen during Veronica's spiel and for the first time the blonde realized that maybe he'd not known the full story. It was confirmed when the blood slowly left his face and his eyes turned darker than she'd ever seen them. "He touched you?"

The tone was eerily calm, and there was no doubt in Veronica's mind in that moment just who his father was. They shared the same chilling danger vibe that made most people want to run away and hide.

Veronica wasn't most people. With a frustrated groan, she grabbed his face and forced him to meet her eyes. "I don't care what is going on inside that head of yours, Echolls, but get it out of your mind right now. It's been handled, and like you so nicely put it earlier, I'm fully capable of handling myself."

The expression in Logan's eyes changed too quickly for Veronica to truly decipher all his emotions, but she nearly groaned in annoyance when it settled onto guilt.

"I don't think we should be together anymore."

The words shocked Veronica, almost as much as they seemed to shock Logan and he was the one who'd spoken them in the first place.

"Err…" Veronica took a step back and crossed her arms, trying to not feel as jolted as she was. "_That_ was quite a change of subject there, Buddy."

Logan sighed, running a hand across his face, as if he subconsciously wanted to wipe the last day away as much as she did. "Look," he said quietly, "it's not like this was ever going to go somewhere right now. I know you care about me and you have no idea how much I care about _you_. When I heard what you did to Duncan, I think my mind just jumped ahead and realized all the problems we face. You could lose your job and even though I'm supposed to help you find evidence, maybe even about my father, I know that this thing between us is…Well, there's more than we're willing to admit, isn't there? It's distracting you from bringing justice to Lily."

Veronica didn't reply –_couldn't_ reply – and could barely stand to keep looking her now ex-fake-boyfriend in the eyes. Logan continued softly, looking more wrecked than she'd anticipated when her mind had tried to prepare her for this thing maybe happening.

"I know our story is epic, Veronica. Spanning years and continents. I just don't want to risk the whole, ruined lives and bloodshed, you know?"

"That's…" Veronica hesitated, but then realized that like it or not, she had to be the adult in this and she finished strongly, "that's very mature of you, Logan. For what it's worth, I think you're making the right decision. Also, please understand that whether or not I manage to convict Aaron, I will be making damn sure he gets some kind of pain for what he's put you through."

Logan nodded, but his eyes dimmed at the mention of the abuse he'd suffered for so long. It made Veronica even more eager to dole out some justice of her own.

A moment later, she had to chuckle when Logan smirked a little and told her, "Even though he was an ass, I'm still not happy about the Duncan thing."

"I know, but like I said," Veronica responded, "he's just lucky I didn't pull out my tazer."

They shared a smile and for the first time since Veronica had met the young 09'er, she had no idea what to do next. Apparently, neither did he. She doubted he'd had any idea of this happening when he'd stormed over to chew her out.

Finally, after a few awkward moments, Logan seemed to come to a decision. He walked over to Veronica and planted a gentle kiss on the tip of her nose before straightening back up again with a smile. "It's been an experience, Veronica Mars. I'll find you when I'm eighteen."

With those words, Veronica mutely watched the young man she could now admit to caring too much about turn around to leave.

"Damn it," she muttered when he reached his car and without thinking, she ran to his side and unceremoniously grabbed his face and turned it down to her height. "Just one more time," she whispered and slanted her lips over his.

**0o0o0**

A few days later, Veronica was eating lunch in the quad with Mac. Since her break up with the uncrowned king of Neptune High, she was no longer officially welcome in the 09'er midst, and spent her free time with her only "friend".

It suited Veronica just fine. She was still silently shocked at just how much Logan ending their thing had hurt.

_It's weird,_ she thought, biting into the cafeteria lasagna that tasted more like cardboard than anything else, _we haven't known each other that long and it was pretty much doomed to fail, but I wasn't even this shaken up when my last relationship ended…_

Veronica grimaced at the thought of her last boyfriend. A radio host named Piz that had loved her more than she deserved and hadn't been loved enough in return. _Or at all,_ Veronica's guilty conscience pointed out and she threw her fork into her plate with a small groan of exasperation.

"Everything's ok?" Mac looked up from the laptop; she'd been fiddling with ever since sitting down without a word. "Craig's still giving you a hard time? James has me on standby to mess with his bank records if he keeps it up."

Veronica smiled and shook her head and since Mac didn't know her so well, she trusted the blonde's conformation and turned her attention back on whatever she was doing.

At the mention of Craig, Veronica's mood turned dark. She couldn't figure the man out. He'd been the biggest advocate for how wrong the thing with Logan was, but when she'd announced them breaking it off, he'd gone crazy with anger.

It had turned into a variable screaming match that made the one she'd had with Logan look like a friendly debate. In the end, Veronica realized that he'd somehow told Jake Kane that they were on to something big and that the case would be solved within weeks, if not days.

To be honest, it suited her just fine. A sick part of Veronica just wanted him to suffer, childishly blaming him a little for Logan's actions as he was the one who got Jake Kane more involved and thus soured her mood and distracting her. Also, it lent her a perfect opportunity to rib the other agent when he got too much into his arrogance.

The result of that being that for the first time since his arrival in Neptune, Craig was almost leaving her alone. It meant that Veronica now had ample time to use the brain that she had been praised for by very many people and she was tinkering with the beginnings of a plan.

An _insane_ plan, Veronica knew and one that could both lead to the answers she was looking for and massive amount of hurt at the same time.

Two hours later, Veronica was walking to her weekly meeting slash detention with James. He took one look at her and dragged her into nearest empty classroom so the two students, who'd legitimately earned their detention didn't overhear them talk.

Ten minutes was all it took to outline her plan, and Veronica knew it was only her partner's respect for her intelligence that kept him from shouting when he spoke next.

"Have you _completely_ lost your mind, Veronica?"

It was a testament to just how serious he was when he used her full name. Veronica hadn't had a clue that she would prefer him using "Ronnie".

"It's a solid plan, James." She started, but the older man roughly cut her off with a hand swipe through the air.

"Solid or not, it's ridiculous! I had no idea that losing your boy toy would ruin your goddamn mind!"

"Hey!" Veronica crossed her arms defensively, knowing if she didn't there was a chance she might slap her partner and friend.

"Sorry," James mumbled, stepping back to lean his weight on the wall with a heavy sigh. "Look, I get that you're more eager than all of us to get out of this stupid town, especially after you actually breaking your 'I-don't-care-for-nothing-but-the-job-'stick. Oh, don't give me that," James added when it looked like Veronica might object. "Despite everything Echolls got under your skin and normally I'd say that was great. Hell, I'm in no way shape or form capable of judging you because of Cindy, but unlike you, I kept things professional. I never forgot my mission in this town, and you act like your old self times a hundred right now all because the kid showed balls and maturity by actually ending things before you both got in too deep."

"Are you done?" Veronica practically growled the words, and waited for him to nod before speaking again.

"I'm not hurt by Logan ending things, I'm grateful. I knew from the beginning it was doomed to fail, and let's face it, it's not like what he and I had was real – we got together to try and suss out the suspect."

James looked at her with something akin to pity in his eyes, and Veronica didn't know what she wanted most. Smack him or bury herself in his arms for a much needed hug. She leaned to toward the first one when he opened his mouth yet again.

"You're so wrong; Ronnie and you don't even know it. I've known you since you were a rookie and never have I seen you react to another person like Logan Echolls. There's no doubt in my mind that had he been the guilty party to Lily Kane's murder as we first suspected, you would've eventually gotten him out of here and helped him disappear. You're in love with him and it's scaring the smart right out of you. It's that fear that's making you think up idiotic plans that you know will firmly put a stop to his feelings for you if he ever finds out what you've done."

Closing her eyes, Veronica swallowed down an uncharacteristic need to let herself cry. After a few moments, she felt more in control and gazed back at her friend. "How do you manage to keep Mac close yet away at the same time?"

James smiled sadly. "Easy," he replied, "I don't let myself hope for anything more. Maybe when she's eighteen I'll help her with a job, but after that I have to let her go. It's not meant to be for us, at least not right now."

"It's the same with me and him, you know." Veronica whispered, feeling oddly vulnerable as the words left her lips. "You're right about my caring too much and vice versa, but that only makes my plan more important. I'm ninety-nine percent sure that I'm right about this and he suffers under that psycho's domain every single day. He's got scars, James. _Please_, if it turns out I'm wrong, I promise I won't deviate from the mission parameters anymore, you get first say in everything."

After what felt like an eternity where she held her breath, Veronica saw the instant where James gave in and rewarded him with a tight hug. "It'll work out, I'm sure of it."

"It damn well better," James whispered into her hair and squeezed her tight. "But it's your body. I guess…"

**0o0o0**

Thirty-two hours later found Veronica in the shower. She was scrubbing her skin raw almost to the point of blood. She had already nearly emptied one bottle of her shower-gel and was in the middle of scouring that one part of her body that she'd had to use that night.

There was no happiness in knowing that she'd been right, that she now had a confession on tape. There was only disgust. Disgust for what she'd seen, felt and more importantly willingly done. It wasn't the first time Veronica had had to use her body, but it was definitely the last, of that she had no doubt.

At the thought of what had transpired, Veronica felt nauseous again and rushed to the toilet, naked as the day she was born, emptying her already emptied stomach once again.

Afterwards, Veronica walked back into the shower stall and continued trying in vain to cleanse herself from her actions. She didn't notice when the near scalding water turned ice cold, she just kept on mechanically scrubbing her now bleeding skin raw. Her eyes kept replaying between what she'd done and the fact that Logan knew about it. He'd come home earlier than anticipated and seen her leave just as police cars with James in front turned up to make the well-deserved arrest.

"Oh _fuck_!"

It was Craig's voice, and under normal circumstances, Veronica would probably have drop-kicked him for seeing her in her naked form, but in that moment she just continued her shower without any reaction.

To her vague surprise, Craig shut off the water and wrapped her in a big towel and started carefully drying her off, while simultaneously cursing at the sight of her abused skin.

"There's a recording," Veronica mumbled dazedly, after a few minutes. "I got you what you wanted."

Craig froze in his task, and tried meeting her eyes. It was abnormal to see so much concern in the conceited agent's face. "Not like this, Veronica. Jesus Christ, not like _this_."

He lifted her tiny form in his massive arms and carried her to her bedroom, ignoring the hovering form of her uncle, who was undoubtedly the one that had called him here if Veronica had to use any non-existent strength to guess.

As if she was made of the frailest glass, Craig placed her gently on the bed and sat down next to her.

"He hates me," Veronica whispered, trying to ignore the mental images of Logan's horrified and betrayed face when he'd realized what she'd done, "he's never going to forgive me for this."

"I'm so fucking sorry, Veronica," Craig replied and enveloped her in his arms. She didn't feel like she deserved comfort after what she'd done and tried to wriggle out of his grip, but it only tightened and a small part of her couldn't believe she was allowing Craig of all people to sooth her. It would've seemed impossible to her if she hadn't been experiencing it.

"The case will be solved now," Veronica muttered, justifying her actions or at least attempting to. "There's more than enough evidence. Lynne and he will be left in peace now. Everything's going to be okay now; it's okay if he hates me…"

"Shh, Mars," Craig ordered, rocking them carefully from side to side as if she needed to be cradled to sleep, "we'll talk about it in the morning. Just try to let it go, I'll keep watch."

Against every bone in her body demanding that she get back into her shower and clean of everything, Veronica felt herself drifting off, tears spilling unknowingly down her cheeks as she finally closed her eyes and left everything behind.

**TBC**…

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><p><em>AN Yep, I went there. I may even be the first in the VM fandom to do so…Ergh…Sorry, but I couldn't keep writing the same Aaron is insane killer showdown in every story, I always try to write original twists, no matter what... Just a reminder, if you kill me, you won't get a happy ending ;) _

_Until next time!_


	16. Chapter 16

**I don't own Veronica Mars or any of its franchise.**

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><p><em>An: Sorry for the wait and the short chapter. Real life is not on my side lately – I'm can't promise another update until December, but if I get inspired/get time/ and a lot of other stuff too then maybe there'll be more sooner than that. I just wanted you to have this little tidbit to tide you over till then – Please enjoy and thanks for your patience and needed understanding!_

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><p>ALL ERRORS IN GRAMMAR ARE MINE. I DON'T HAVE A BETA CURRENTLY SO SORRY<p>

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><p><strong>CHAPTER FOURTEEN<strong>

Logan Echolls wasn't having the best of days.

Hell, his entire _year_ had pretty much been a disaster. What, with his father upping his abuse tendencies little by little, his cheating girlfriend being murdered and topping it all by falling in love with an undercover agent that wound up breaking him apart in more ways than he'd ever imagined being able to break.

The glass in his hand was empty; he could still feel the burn of the scotch working its way through his system.

"Logan?"

His friend's voice distracted Logan from grabbing the bottle of scotch and finishing it off. To be fair, he'd emptied a lot of bottles lately and it probably wouldn't look too good today of all days showing up drunk out of his mind. He _was_ underage after all.

"What, Duncan?"

Looking up at the brown-haired teenager, Logan had to repress the by-now familiar urge to kick his teeth in. Some small part of him hadn't, and probably never would, forgive the boy for what he'd done in regards to Veronica. _But_, Logan's mind pointed out, _what _she_ did was a hundred times worse and you already did beat him down for what he did. She's still out there_.

Duncan's nose was still a little crooked, and the sight gave him a little satisfaction in the middle of all his misery. Logan tried not looking too closely at the appendage when his friend finally spoke again.

"We have to go now, if you're absolutely certain that you wanna be there in time to—"

"Yeah, Man, I wanna be there." Logan cut through Duncan's words and got to his feet. He spared a second of gratitude for his mother's genes that somehow made him able to not wobble despite having drunk way too much for it to be possible otherwise.

"Let's go hear what my cheating, undercover cop girlfriend did in detail with my abusive and murdering father that got him convicted."

Duncan's eyes dimmed at the mention of the girl he'd almost ended a friendship for with his stupid crush and Logan sighed, trying to sound less bitter and more like himself.

"After all, my mother wants to thank her for freeing her from her marriage and making her famous again in person."

**0o0o0**

"Ronnie…"

"…"

"Come on, girl, it's time."

"…"

"Do you want me to kick this door in, 'cause you know I'll totally do it if you don't come out right now."

There was yet another heavy moment of silence before the click of the lock sounded and the door opened a fraction to allow Veronica enough space to peek her head out.

"I'm sick. I can't go." It wouldn't be a lie to say that the tone of Veronica's voice was pitiful. Unfortunately for her, it didn't seem to have any effect on James whatsoever.

"Tough, it's gotta be done."

Sighing, Veronica emerged from the motel room she'd locked herself in ever since arriving in town the day before. "I hate when _you're_ the reasonable one, you know. It's unnatural."

James smirked and ruffled her hair gently. "It ain't no picnic for me either, Ronnie. Now, here," he handed her a bag of clean clothes and pushed her back into the room he'd just so painstakingly dragged her from. "Clean clothes for you, go shower 'cause you stink and I can't have you looking how you feel today. If you're not ready to leave in thirty minutes, I'm putting you over my shoulder and you'll go as you are. We can't be late."

"I know," Veronica sighed and turned to leave for the bathroom. "We've waited seven months for this, I'm not risking any delays."

James' eyes showed none of the empathy he felt for the weary-looking woman when he simply responded with a, "I hear ya," before making himself comfortable on the ruffled bed and started channel surfing while he waited.

Today was going to suck either way, so he might as well enjoy some Simpson's while he waited for his guilt ridden partner to get ready.

**TBC**…


	17. Chapter 17

**I don't own Veronica Mars or any of its franchise.**

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><p><em>AN So I know I said I wouldn't update till December, but had a little extra time during all the madness that is my life at the moment. I know it probably will disappoint most of you in terms of what is happening in this chapter, finding it hasty and stuff, but I am not a lawyer, let alone an American one so things may be incorrect but remember this is a fanfiction and not real. That said, I hope you'll enjoy it at least a little bit._

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><p>Unbetaed, sorry.<p>

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><p><strong>CHAPTER FIFTEEN<strong>

"Agent Mars," the attorney's voice was full to the brim with business, knowing from their earlier conversations just how not interested in publicity Veronica was, "would you tell us how you got a confession from the accused?"

Veronica bit her lip, glanced over at the man in question. Aaron was using all of his acting skills to look benign and sad at the circumstances he now found himself in. He was far from the man that had nearly choked her when he realized the truth.

Taking a deep breath, Veronica delved into the memories even as her mouth told her story.

It had been surprisingly easy to seduce the older Echolls, in fact Veronica had been the one to _let_ herself be seduced. Never had another human's touch irked her so, disgust simmering just beneath the surface, coupled with self-loathing for what she was doing.

The sex itself was a memory that Veronica skimmed past, not able to stomach reliving the mechanics of it. After, Aaron had stroked her body and kissed her neck before leaving to get something to drink. Veronica had used her time wisely, eyeing her surroundings in the pool house where she'd recognized some of the scenes of his earlier conquests in the videotapes.

The moment the actor returned to the room, Veronica had pointed at the ceiling fan, and more importantly, the tiny camera lens and acted like any normal woman would in that situation, threatening him with exposure and that had gotten Aaron's temper up like nothing else and within moments they were wrestling on the still ruffled bed. His hands were tight around her neck while he grinned sadistically and told her that at least he'd gotten to fuck her before killing her just like with Lily Kane.

"Evidently," Veronica finished her tale coolly, "he said that he hoped the _next_ blonde smart-mouthed slut in his bed was as good as Lily and myself and," Veronica swallowed as her gaze locked on the murderer sitting so close to her, "if she too got any ideas he would have scored a hattrick of dead bimbos. He continued spewing antagonistic words. At that point in time, I felt I had enough and managed to free myself and arrested him for murder and after he'd been handcuffed, I took the tape from the VCR and gave it to you as evidence."

The lawyer smiled politely and thanked her for her time and looked to the judge and jury respectively, "No further questions, Your Honor."

Veronica remained seated and prepared herself for the defense attorney's cross examination, knowing that it was going to be a brutal one.

**0o0o0**

An hour later, found an exhausted Veronica in the ladies room, compulsively washing her face and hands. Ever since her time with Aaron, the blonde had never been able to feel clean. It was as if there was a constant layer of dirt on her that no amount of cleansing could remove. Whenever she closed her eyes, Veronica saw him atop her, grinning evilly as he choked the life out of her and whispered the things she hadn't confessed to at the witness stand – the things that had both managed to give her the strength she needed to free herself and ruined any sense of assurance of her doing the right thing at the same time.

"_I'm so gonna enjoy seeing Logan's poor little heart crushed again, his confusion when yet another one of his girls chose the better man. I'm gonna break him down like that weak frigid mother of his, show him that I am the fucking king in his world." _

Blinking out of the memory, Veronica turned off the water and dried her hands with some paper towels that she discarded in the trashcan with a heavy exhale.

_I broke so many rules that I don't even know how I can ever work in the field again_, Veronica thought. She ran a hand through her hair and made her way toward the door where James was waiting for her. _I will never be able to use myself in undercover missions again, no one will trust my judgment and I won't ever be able to forgive myself for what I did to Logan…_

Veronica hadn't lost her job when the method of how she'd gotten Aaron Echolls pinned for the murder of Lily Kane had become public knowledge, but Veronica knew it was more due to the fact that Jake Kane was grateful to her for finally locating his only daughter's killer than due to her own credentials. Even though she was the best, Veronica knew she'd crossed too many lines to ever truly be respected again.

_And yet_, Veronica thought sadly, opening the door to exit the bathroom, _none of that hurts me as much as knowing that I ruined everything with Logan. How can my feelings be so strong for someone that is essentially so wrong for me? We barely knew each other, but he made me happier than I can remember being in years._

As if thinking about him, called him to her, Veronica saw him walking toward her and James on his way into the courtroom no doubt. Deciding to use some of that courage that she'd always been so proud of, Veronica stepped into his line of sight, ignoring the way James froze warily beside her at her actions.

"Logan…" Veronica's voice sounded a lot calmer than she felt. Inside of her, her heart was pounding and she was never more thankful for her deodorant choice because without it, her sweat would make her smell a lot less pleasant than currently.

Logan stopped a few paces from her, his hazel eyes hidden behind an expensive-looking pair of sunglasses. For a moment that felt like forever to the blonde agent, he didn't move or say anything.

Finally, he simply nodded and walked by her with a polite, "excuse me, miss Mars," that nearly broke her already shattered heart.

"Well," James slapped her on the shoulder after a few seconds of awkward silence, "that wasn't so bad."

Veronica didn't reply, simply followed her partner into the courtroom. She knew the truth and that was that Logan hated her and Veronica couldn't blame him one bit.

**0o0o0**

Honestly, when all was said and done the weeks of the trial was rather anticlimactic for Veronica. Her reputation at the bureau was shot to hell sure, but other than that is was a pretty clear cut case of the jury voting Aaron Echolls guilty and when he was sentenced to life in prison no one was really surprised.

Veronica breathed a sigh of relief when he was led out of the courtroom amidst several people, but stiffened cautiously when he looked back at her, silently promising her payback. Veronica straightened up and used every bit of her training to smirk smugly, acting like his gaze didn't creep her out.

James led her out through a side door to preserve their privacy from the packed crowd standing vigil in front of the court house. Paparazzi were screaming almost as loudly as Aaron's fans, which were crying and sobbing their displeasure with the verdict.

Veronica eyed the chaos that erupted when Logan and his mother came out, both wearing sunglasses and somber expressions. It was only Veronica's keen sense of observation that made her notice the tiny hints of Lynne Echolls true feelings, a tiny twitch of her lips when the crowd questioned her, the relaxed set of her shoulders and so on.

Logan on the other hand was like stone, completely unreadable. Veronica saw his blank expression and swallowed down the by now familiar sensation of guilt that always threatened to overcome her. _I wonder if things would've been different if we hadn't fought about the whole Duncan mess?_ She thought with a small wry smile playing on her lips.

It was still somewhat morbidly amusing to Veronica that she'd let her emotions play her and ultimately lead her to breaking all of the rules to just get the whole thing solved and over with.

In the midst of people flanking the Echolls', Veronica saw Duncan and his parents, alongside with a few others from the 09'er crowd like Dick Cassablancas. _At least _they_ made up;_ Veronica decided the thought cheered her up a little instead of making her seethe with frustration of the unfairness of everything. _He won't be alone. _

As if sensing her gaze on him, Logan looked up, just as he was getting into the limousine parked in front of the court house to pick them up. Veronica couldn't see his eyes, and for one short second she grieved, wanting nothing more than to look at his beautiful eyes one last time even though she had no doubt that they'd be filled with the same contempt she saw in the mirror every day.

"I'm so sorry," she mouthed without sound and broke their stare off to disappear into the throng of people, James at her back to keep any vengeful fans from acting out.

"So," James muttered a little while later when they'd returned to the motel she'd lived in during the trial, "What happens next, Ronnie?"

Veronica smiled, zipping up her bag after having finished packing her stuff, "Well," she said and threw the bag unceremoniously at him to catch, "I've got some paid leave to finish off and then I think I'm gonna switch departments seeing as undercover work isn't exactly in the cards for me anymore.

James looked unusually serious as he carried her baggage to her car, "I can't say that I blame you. Those fuckheads in Washington have acted like total dirtbags to you during this whole mess, but…" he paused, slamming the trunk with unnecessary force, "I'm not looking forward to a new partner."

Veronica grinned, for once enjoying a moment of pure mirth. "Aw, Craig will be so disappointed you think that. Anyway, don't sweat it. Give it a year or two and I think you'll have your ideal partner. I heard Mac is mighty interested in covert ops with you and she is very talented."

To Veronica's amazement, James actually looked flushed at the mention of the teenage hacker. Apparently, she wasn't the only one, who'd been crossing a few lines during her time in Neptune.

"She won't be _you_, though."

"At least she's not gonna fall in love with her suspects," Veronica pointed out, "too interested in you I think."

Again, James looked uncomfortable and Veronica suddenly had a feeling that age difference or not, in a few years those two would be a force to be reckoned with. In _and_ outside of work.

_Good for them,_ Veronica thought and embraced her partner, her best friend. _He deserves someone who can keep up with him and make sure he's not heading into trouble with that smart aleck attitude of his_.

"Keep me posted on everything," she whispered into the soft fabric of his shirt and enjoyed his silent support. Throughout it all, James had been a pillar of support to her, and she knew without him saying it that he was rooting for everything to work out for her.

"Sure, Ronnie. Don't do anything I wouldn't do when I can't be there to keep an eye on you," he mumbled gruffly, stepping out of her embrace with an awkward scratch of his neck to camouflage his true emotions.

Taking her cues from him one last time, Veronica shrugged in mock carelessness, "Well," she said as she got in the car and started the engine, "that kinda gives me free reins, doesn't it, Jamie?"

Before he could say another word, Veronica drove off and left a part of herself behind that she hadn't known was ready to be given away in the first place; her heart.

"Let's hope the future will turn out better," she said to herself, reaching to turn up her music when her phone gave a beep and alerted her to an incoming text. Pulling over with a sigh, Veronica picked up her phone from the passenger seat and read the text.

Ever so slowly, a small smile formed on her face and if James had been there, he would have grinned in relief at seeing a tiny spark of life coming back into her eyes. The text was simple, yet it made Veronica's heart soar like nothing else had in months.

**I'm sorry too. Until next time Tiny Dancer.**

**TBC…**

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><p><em>AN One chapter left, so don't fret – this is not the end. Hope you enjoyed what little I managed!  
><em>

_Until next time_

_Ditte Mai_


	18. Chapter 18

**I don't own Veronica Mars or any of its franchise.**

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><p><em>AN Sorry, sorry, sorry and sorry! I can't believe how long it's been – especially since I've had half this chapter written for months. So, again: Sorry! That said, it's finally here! The end to a story that caught me off guard and brought me my first ever flames and mockery. Apparently, I'm a disgusting pervert, but heh, who cares. As long as you like this, I'm happy. Now, if you can't remember anything, I'd advise you to reread the last two chapters at least. I had to *wink*. I was about to chop this chappie into two, but didn't want to risk another hiatus. So this last big chappie is for those who PM'ed me and thought me dead - 3 Also, this chapter is full of F-bombs and more grown up stuff then in previous advised!  
><em>

_Enjoy if at all possible! Again, sorry for the wait!_

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><p><strong>Unbetaed chapter<strong>.

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><p><strong>CHAPTER SIXTEEN<strong>

_Time is a funny thing_, Veronica thought with a small smile. She hadn't realized how quick it went by when she wasn't looking. Sighing, the blonde drew past the 'Welcome to Neptune' sign that she'd never truly believed she'd ever see again in person.

_If it hadn't been for Mac finally getting James to commit_ _to her, I probably wouldn't even be here_, Veronica continued, her mind pulling up the memories from her last visit. Memories that still haunted her and shaped the woman she was today.

Veronica no longer did any undercover work. Her bosses and coworkers didn't really trust her and her own love of the games and tricks used during such work had cooled considerably as well. In the end, Veronica had transferred to the cold case division, devoting all her time to finding closure for the families and friends left behind without any answers.

It was the complete opposite of what she thought she'd ever be doing. The thought of James crossed Veronica's mind and she shook her head with a smile. _Neither of us ever expected to do anything else, we didn't want to do anything else and look at us now. _

James had resigned two years earlier when Mac had been targeted by some criminals for her talent and they now ran a very successful business that required Mac's before mentioned talents and James' uncanny ability to bullshit. Last thing Veronica had heard, Jake Kane was very interested in buying their work.

_And now here we are_, Veronica thought as she took the turn to the house where her old partner lived with Mac and were going to host their engagement party. Evidently, they'd gotten more than one offer from Logan to pay for a big shindig at the Grande Hotel, but James wasn't a fancy guy and preferred staying in a place where he'd mapped out all exits and knew any and all hiding places. He was still a paranoid bastard, Veronica smiled at the thought, because like it or not, she knew that she was exactly the same.

In the next moment, her smile dimmed when her mind traveled to Logan. He'd somehow ended up making great friends with not only James, but Mac as well. They'd gone to Hearst college together and been close ever since, alongside Wallace Fennell of all people, who'd later moved away to play professional basketball and was doing very well for himself.

To be honest, Veronica hadn't pictured the brash young man going to college at all, especially since he'd had a period of acting out ever since his father's trial and subsequent conviction. Then, according to Mac, who'd told Veronica every excruciating detail at her earliest opportunity, Logan had stumbled across one of his friends raping a freshman and unveiled him as the serial rapist running rampant on campus and turned his life around. He'd shut himself off from the frat parties, to Dick Cassablancas' unending grief, stopped sleeping around and just overall stopped acting like a spoiled rich kid with too much money and too little sense.

After graduating from Hearst, Logan had vanished of the radar and Veronica had forced herself to let go of the teenager she'd fallen so in love with and stopped keeping track of him. Only, it had proved impossible, when, a year later he'd returned with a bestselling book that was in the process of being made into a TV-show. It was about a brash, young high school girl, desperately trying to solve her best friend's murder and every other crime in her town while alienating everyone in the process.

The main character reminded Veronica of someone specific indeed and gave her a tiny hope that she wasn't the only one carrying a torch in her heart.

Finally, Veronica reached her destination and pulled in at the curb near her friend's home. Judging from the multiple arrays of vehicles around the street, she was by no means the first to arrive.

Biting her lip, Veronica looked at herself in her rearview-mirror, suddenly overloaded with nerves and feeling like a teenage girl at the sight of tiredness and small bags under her eyes that not even makeup could conceal entirely.

_What did you expect?_ Veronica's inner bitch snarked bitterly, _you're 31 so stop kidding yourself that he'll even be interested anymore. He's 22, _way_ too good-looking and famous to even look at you again. Girls his own age are falling all over him, so just stop fussing, straighten your back and get in there and be happy for your friend's sake!_

"Ronnie!"

Veronica jumped out of her rather self-loathing thoughts and broke into a wide smile at the sight of James all but running toward her. Within seconds, she'd exited her car and jumped into his arms which made her old partner groan with mock exhaustion and then break into a booming laugh.

"Damn it, Girly Girl," he said, squeezing her tightly before setting her much smaller frame back onto the ground, "but I missed your sorry ass."

"Stop looking at my ass," Veronica grinned and turned to get her bag out of her car, "you're almost a married man, Jamie so don't ruin it so soon."

"She won't let me go," James bragged like the lovesick groom to be that he was, "especially since she _finally_ got me to agree to marry her. Anyway, 'nuff chitchat, Mac is dying to see you!"

Veronica simply rolled her eyes and took the hand James reached toward her and allowed him to drag her into his house.

**0o0o0**

A couple of hours later, Veronica was exhausted from keeping up a fake smile on her face. She expertly ignored the whispers that had erupted when people slowly began realizing who she was, and gravitated around the engaged couple at all times.

She'd laughed genuinely though when Mac had acted nothing like her cool and collected self at her arrival. She was grinning broadly when the computer expert grabbed her in a move eerily similar to James and spun her around like she weighed nothing at all.

After a few minutes of generic small talk, Mac looked around and lowered her voice. "I can't really believe my life right now. I'm so happy it's almost impossible to understand."

Veronica smiled and planted a hand on the younger woman's shoulder, trying to calm her down a little. "It's perfectly okay, because your life is wonderful. You got the guy you've always wanted and your work lives are booming and you should enjoy yourself. I know how hard it was for you to convince him to give you a legitimate chance for more after all. You've suffered enough."

Mac broke into a small smile and shrugged. "Yeah, well…I know we're not exactly the standard couple and believe me the people in this town have gossiped about us like you wouldn't believe, but…" Mac paused and then smirked with a completely confident look in her eyes, "Like I said to anyone stupid enough to actually say anything. I love James and he sure as hell loves me, so fuck 'em, it's our lives."

Next thing Veronica knew, Mac had embraced her again and dragged her over to meet some of her friends.

Not long after that, the thing Veronica dreaded more than anything happened. Logan Echolls arrived and his eyes stayed on her the rest of the night.

It made everything inside the blonde tingle in an almost forgotten way, but she didn't have the courage to actually go over and talk to him. He didn't seem to want to talk to her anyway, Veronica mutely decided. Every time she looked back at him, he merely nodded and looked away.

As the evening progressed, Veronica hated herself more and more. Just as she finally managed to convince herself to go over and at least greet the man, Logan abruptly left. His arm swung over a beautiful blonde girl's shoulders and a racy smirk on his face that told its own story of what they were about to do with each other.

To say that Veronica was mentally weary as she got ready for some much needed sleep was an understatement. At the same time, she tried telling herself that she was clearly right all along. Logan's infatuation with her had long since dried up. He'd let go of her and probably still hated her for what she'd done deep down.

_At least,_ she thought sadly as sleep began to overtake her_, I know now and can get on with my own life again…_

**0o0o0**

Two days later, Veronica was frantically trying to procure a decent wedding gift that wouldn't blow her savings. She'd forgotten just how effing expensive things were in Neptune.

Next to her, her uncle Keith was chuckling on and off at the sight of growing despair on her face. It was really annoying and she was beginning to regret inviting him along so they could catch up.

Finally, after a few hours of basically making a fool of herself in front of one of the only men she respected, Veronica semi-politely asked him to make like a banana and split.

Keith grinned, hugged her goodbye and told her he'd see her at the wedding the next day before finally leaving.

After another hour, Veronica threw in the towel and bought one of the most generic wedding presents ever, some fancy dinnerware that cost more than she'd like to admit. She smiled tiredly to the overly chipper salesgirl that she vaguely recognized from her stint in Neptune High – fortunately the recognition was one-sided and Veronica managed to escape to her car unmolested.

Twenty minutes later, Veronica pulled up to the parking area by the Grande Hotel, handed her car keys to a slightly disappointed-looking valet, who was probably used to more glamorous vehicles.

Veronica had decided to let the almost newlyweds share their last night as unwed by themselves for one last bout of sinful togetherness. Despite Mac and James' attempts of changing her mind, Veronica booked herself a room at the hotel. She'd chosen the Grande for the privacy opportunities, knowing from experience that places like the Camelot Motel didn't quite offer the same standard.

_Also_, Veronica's inner voice pointed out sadly, _it may be the last chance I have to run into Logan._

The blonde agent had heard through the grapevine that the famous author had foregone owning a house in Neptune ever since he'd left town, and with his sense of style, there was nowhere else he'd choose to stay. She'd bet her badge on that.

So deep in her mind was Veronica that she didn't notice that the object of her thoughts was standing in the elevator that she'd just stepped into.

"Hello, Veronica."

Startling like a scared colt, Veronica looked up and froze. She'd only seen him from across the room at James' engagement party, and so this was the first real glimpse of the man Logan had grown into.

Gone were the blonde highlights and the almost iconic necklace. No longer was he clad in casual designer clothing, now he was wearing a gorgeous Armani suit and tie that really did a great job of pointing out to Veronica just how out of his league she was these days. Also, there was _stubble_. Stubble that made her want to lean up against him and caress his skin.

After a few moments, she realized that she hadn't returned his greeting and quickly did so.

Logan looked her up and down, and all the female insecurities that Veronica had suffered from ever since entering Neptune resurfaced with the power of a tsunami. "So," he said with a smug look in his eyes that inexplicably sent a wave of pure lust down her spine, "you've changed."

That kinda killed the lustful feelings like nothing else and Veronica almost snarled when Logan continued mockingly.

"Honestly, I hadn't expected you to come back at all. I thought you'd value your friendships a little more, but then again, it's always been your way or the highway, so why I'm surprised at all is beyond my comprehension."

"What the hell is _that_ supposed to mean?"

Logan chuckled and said just as the elevator doors opened on her floor, "Your reputation isn't exactly the best. A whoring public servant does give their friends some bad press. Mac and James act like they don't care, but come on, of course they do."

Anger like Veronica hadn't felt in years overtook her and she stepped up to Logan, eyeing him with a mix of fury and a tiny bit of hurt. "You don't get to call me a whore, Logan. You _know_ why I did what I did, and if you hadn't been so fucking busy trying to screw said whore and not giving a shit if _she_ lost everything, she might not have had to do that whoring!"

Something seemed to explode within Logan, and for one brief second, she felt real fear as he hissed hatefully, "Fuck, I loathe you!"

Instead of backing down as every instinct she'd ever cultivated over the years screamed for her to do, Veronica simply sneered in reply, "Well, right back at ya, Rich Boy!"

The two of them fairly steamed with rage, and then suddenly, as if a switch went off, Logan and Veronica attacked each other passionately.

This was no tender, lingering kiss of adoration. It was violence, lust and sex and both of them _loved_ it.

Veronica was unceremoniously slammed up against the wall of the now moving again elevator and Logan's before mentioned stubble was really working for her as he kissed and licked his way down her neck, biting her briefly every now and again.

Groaning wantonly, Veronica roughly grabbed Logan's glorious set of hair and yanked him back up to her so she could slant her lips over his and push her tongue straight back into his mouth. She wrapped one leg halfway up his legs, all but clawing at his back with desperation.

Logan's one hand was wrapped around her leg, and the other was busy sneaking its way roughly down the front of her jeans.

A startled cough managed to bring the two of them out of their almost public sex. Logan pulled his hand free of her pants, leaving a blushing Veronica to all but whimper at the loss. It didn't help her embarrassment that the cougher turned out to be none other than Jake Kane.

"Hello, Jake," Logan said as if he'd not just been caught red-handed engaging in public indecency. He casually gripped Veronica around her waist and led her out of the elevator and past the still gawping billionaire. "Goodbye, Jake."

Logan nonchalantly led Veronica toward the penthouse suite's door and unlocked the door slowly, as if he' not been consumed by the same fire as Veronica mere minutes earlier. A part of her was saddened by how easy his passion could be directed.

_I guess he was just too angry and let it out that way, _Veronica thought, _he's probably disgusted about what nearly happened and—_

Veronica barely finished her thought before Logan once again slammed her up against a flat surface and continued right where they'd left off.

"Fuck," he groaned when his fingers once again sought out her sex and found her dripping. "You've no idea what you do to me, do you?"

Clearly not expecting a response, Logan literally tore off her well-worn jeans and only muttered that he'd replace them before burying his head between her legs.

Veronica moaned, banging her head against the wall in pure euphoria. Nothing had ever felt that good in her life and she almost cried, when, after too short a while, Logan pulled back and then roughly lifted her up in such an effortless way that she knew that he did a _lot_ more in his daily life then just write books.

"Tell me you're okay with this!" Logan ordered hoarsely, trembling with some primal need that was fully reciprocated. "Tell me that I can finally have you."

Muted by such desire for fulfillment, Veronica merely nodded and she groaned loudly when Logan quickly opened his own pants and within seconds, thrust almost violently into her.

She was wrong; _this_ was the best thing she'd ever felt, the inevitable flash of pain at the abrupt entrance barely registering in her lust-filled daze. Logan started a fierce pace that sent Veronica toward the edge much faster than anything she'd ever experienced, his teeth once again nipping at her exposed neck and shoulder.

Both of them were groaning and moaning with primal enjoyment that told its own story of reconnection that neither of them could really comprehend.

Then, as abruptly as it had begun, it ended with Veronica screaming out Logan's name as tidal waves of pleasure flooded over her. Logan roared out his own release seconds later, and the bite he gave her in the throes of his own passion only intensified her own.

Sometime later, Veronica came back to her senses, only to realize that Logan had actually carried her into his gigantic bed and was gently washing her sex clean. She whimpered at the motions, still sensitive after their actions.

"Shh," Logan whispered and finished carefully. He put away the washcloth and returned wearing only his boxer briefs and a small smile.

Veronica was too tired to say anything, although she knew that there were words that definitely needed to be said. Instead, she padded the empty space beside her and a moment later, she was drifting into some much deserved sleep with Logan's arms wrapped tightly around her.

**0o0o0**

The next morning, at the break of dawn, Veronica snuck out, wearing only her shirt since her ruined pants lay somewhere in the living room area of Logan's massive suite, and ran to her abandoned room. She showered with lightning speed, put on the dress she'd bought for James and Mac's wedding and rushed out so she could help her friends prepare for their big day.

She knew she was taking the coward's way out, but even after two more rounds of passionate sex whereas the last time had been exceedingly tender and sweet, Veronica had no idea what to do. They hadn't spoken a word since Logan's rough commands before their first joining, and even the fearful-of-emotions-Veronica knew that couldn't be good.

The blonde convinced herself that it had meant nothing to Logan, that it had just been the fulfillment of a longtime schoolboy fantasy.

Of course when Logan showed up at the church some hours later, with sunglasses on and another beautiful woman by his side and not even a nod in her direction, Veronica's heart still shattered a little.

_I guess I was right,_ she thought sadly, trying to choke down the irrational urge to weep like a little girl.

After the wedding, Veronica followed Mac's weeping parents to the festive room they'd rented for the wedding party and quickly hid away in the nearest corner. She was fully intending to keep up a cheerful façade for her friends' sake. Just…She just needed a _little_ moment first to get herself together.

The party itself was nice. The food was nice. The free drinks were _very_ nice. The music was nice. The people were nice, not one scowl or sneer in her direction all night. None of that mattered though, because Logan still didn't acknowledge her existence whatsoever.

Feeling a little tipsy after a few too many glasses of wine, Veronica finally decided to forget her own insecurities and went over to the man she'd slept with only hours before and so he really shouldn't be flirting so vividly with another woman right in front of her.

"You're such an asshole," was Veronica's diplomatic greeting and before her rational side could push down her drunken side, she'd emptied her glass in Logan's face with an evil grin.

The entire room seemed to quiet in anticipation of what Logan would do. The woman at his side was glaring angrily up at Veronica, who ignored her as she was still fully focused on Logan.

"Come here," Logan got to his feet, looking a lot more elegant than a man covered in wine really should, to be honest, and took a firm hold of her hand before leading her out into the more private hallway.

Once there, Logan took out a silk handkerchief from his breast pocket and finally wiped his face dry. Once finished, he looked down at Veronica with confused anger in his gaze.

"What the hell is _wrong_ with you, Mars?"

Veronica swallowed a lump, adrenaline slowly but surely draining the alcohol from her system. "Err… I'm sorry, but you totally deserved it!"

"Me?" Logan yelled, leading her until her back hit the wall. He slammed his hands up against the sides of her face, caging her in. "What the hell did _I_ do? I'm not the one skulking away like a fucking coward in the dead of night and then acts like a damn child!"

"You know _exactly_ what you've done!" Veronica screamed, ineffectually trying to push him away. "Showing up with that bimbo. Was I really so bad that you had to find a new model so fast? I know that I mean nothing to you now that you finally got to screw me senseless but couldn't you at least have waited before you broke my heart, huh?"

To say that Logan looked stumped was a vast understatement. His eyes widened with surprise and his entire being screamed that he really didn't understand her words. "I'm not the one that left, Sweetheart. You clearly thought…I don't know what the hell you thought, but when I first kissed you and you didn't flee on the spot or hit me, I decided to take my chance. I've acted like an idiot ever since the whole Duncan and Aaron thing, and I know you hate my guts, but for fuck's sake, I've loved you since I was seventeen years old, I couldn't _not_ have you, Veronica. Then after the most mind-blowing night of my life, where I honestly thought we were gonna talk about everything, I wake up to find that you've left in the middle of the night. How do you think that makes me feel?"

Veronica froze. Her entire body and soul were immobile with pure shock. The look in Logan's eyes brought tears to her eyes, and then she watched in silence as Logan's gaze darkened and turned sad at her unresponsiveness. Another breath passed between them and to Veronica's despair, she watched as a devastated-looking Logan turned to walk away, out of her life and this time she knew it'd be for good.

"Wait." The plea left her lips without Veronica's conscious decision, but she didn't regret it, when Logan slowly turned with a dead look in his hazel eyes that broke her heart all over again.

_Come on, Girly Girl_, Veronica ordered herself, _stop being the coward he said you were and just tell him everything you've wanted to do since you left town_.

"You're right," she whispered, unable to look away from him as if breaking their gaze would make him disappear right in front of her, "I _am_ a coward, but not for the reasons you think. I'm a coward, I've been one since the day I met you. The second I saw you, I knew that I needed to be around you. I was too scared to acknowledge it of course, but then you bulldozed your way into my heart and I haven't been able to get you out ever since. I'm a coward because I slept with your dad instead of talking to you. I'm a coward because I left without really giving either of us closure. I'm a coward because when I woke up this morning and saw you sleeping next to me, the only thing I wanted was to cuddle up close to you and never leave, and I thought…I was too afraid of rejection. I'm a coward because I thought you hated me…I'm a coward because…" Veronica took a deep breath, "because I'm scared of letting you know that you're it for me. I know I'm older than you, and I'll grow saggy and gross before you, and I'm scared because I'm not in your league and—"

Veronica didn't get to finish her rambled and non-thought out speech, because suddenly, Logan was once again crowding her. He was holding her head gently in his large, warm hands and the tear-filled eyes he wore matched hers.

"Don't you get it yet, Veronica," he muttered softly, caressing her cheeks gently with his thumbs, "I feel the exact same way about you."

Blinking away her annoying tears, Veronica asked quietly, "Really?"

The timid question brought a small smile to Logan's lips and he softly replied, "Really."

Then, after a long moment of intense staring and silent conformation of their feelings, Logan bent down and kissed her and all was momentarily right with the world.

**0o0o0**

One and a half year later, found Veronica sitting in the office she now shared with her uncle. After Logan and she had revealed their new relationship, Keith had immediately offered her a job in his detective agency.

In that moment though, Veronica was not actually working. She was sitting and consuming impossible amounts of lasagna that kinda made her uncle a little sick.

"The mere _speed_ you can eat astounds me," he said, barely restraining a disbelieving and slightly grossed out expression.

Veronica scowled and took a massive bite as a silent rebellion. After chewing and swallowing, she scowled again and pointed her little plastic fork in Keith's direction. "You know it's unethical to mock pregnant women. _Especially_ heavily pregnant women like myself. Your only niece, who subsequently also has a gun within her reach."

Keith nodded and hurried out the door to finish his stake out that a pissed wife had demanded over the phone. He'd had a _lot_ of experience with his niece's deadly mood swings over the last eight months and valued his manhood too much to chance another painful reminder of pregnant women's irrationality.

Veronica giggled a little at her uncle's speedy retreat and then promptly broke into tears at the sight of the nearly empty food container, resting comfortably on her huge belly.

Struggling to get herself under control, Veronica quickly dialed Logan's number. He immediately picked up.

"Is it time? Are you okay?" His tone sounded so worried and careful that Veronica fell in love with him all over again. He really was the greatest man ever.

Then she shook it off and concentrated on what was important.

"I'm a big fat slob," she wailed into her phone. "I need you back here to look at me like you do so I feel just a little bit more human."

"Baby," Logan's tone was now a little bit amused and Veronica had never hated him more. "You're beautiful, and I'll come home in a couple of hours. Rob is kinda hounding me to approve some new scenes."

Pouting in a way that no thirty-three year old woman really should be allowed to, Veronica tried to stop acting like a fool. "Okay then…but don't be late tonight. James and Mac are coming over and I get freaked out about our coming child whenever I see their little devil throw down like a champ."

Logan's chuckles went a long way to sooth the irrational beast currently possessing Veronica's mind and he quietly agreed. "I wouldn't miss it for the world, Baby Momma. See you in a few hours. Love you."

"Love you too," Veronica replied and ended the call feeling a little more settled.

As she leaned back in her comfy chair, Veronica pondered her current life with a smile on her face that made her look a lot younger than she was.

Ever since she'd gotten back together with Logan, people had talked. A _lot_. Logan had expertly ignored it, using some of his experience from growing up with famous parents and Veronica had done her best to copy him.

There'd been some ups and downs. Duncan hadn't really liked her reappearance in Neptune. People had warned Logan from being with her and above all there'd been a massive focus on their age difference and the fact that they'd been together when she was undercover at Neptune High.

Veronica finally had an understanding of what Mac and James had endured, and she respected them even more for sticking with their decision.

Logan had used the attention to finally get his book made into a TV-show, and it was a massive hit. Veronica had worked her butt off to prove to not only her uncle but the entire town that she didn't use her body to solve crime any more. That she was more than just a pretty face and spread legs.

Judging from the increased business over the last year, it had worked really well.

When Veronica had gotten pregnant, they'd briefly discussed marriage, and decided to get engaged. It was a status that neither of them had any rush to change just yet.

To sum it up, Veronica grinned at the thought as she got to her feet with difficulty so she could drive home and get ready for their visitors. She was happy, Logan was happy and it didn't matter that some people couldn't look beyond their ages or former decisions.

Mac had said it that day at her engagement party, and Veronica completely agreed.

Fuck 'em, it's _our_ lives.

**0o0o0**

**THE END!**

* * *

><p><em>AN: I am a little ambivalent to mark this complete. I doubt I'll return to the VM fold as a writer, but we'll see what the future brings. The movie and books are giving fans all kinds of ideas thankfully. _

_The sex scene is homage to my very first (and very badly written) VM story, VM meets her past. I hope it's a little better this time around, but to be fair, I sorta (really) suck at sex scenes, but I felt poor LoVe needed the release after all this time ;) _

_Thank you all for sticking with me and I hope to hear your thoughts about the end or just the story in its entirety, 'cause I _love_ reviews ;) Anyway, thank you and goodbye for now. _

_Until Next Time_

_Ditte Mai _


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